The Fourth Path
by Mulleb
Summary: Chara, this is your last chance at happiness. You must risk your existence to achieve it. Are you willing to take the deal? Press yes or no.
1. Chapter 1

Note: The image I'm using for my cover was created by llllimi from Deviant Art.

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Chapter One

Pain should have flooded her body, yet the girl felt so little. For a brief moment, she had sworn that she had heard a voice in the back of her head.

 _Wake up_ , the voice had said. _Are you okay?_

She tried to move her mouth, but it felt heavy. After a long moment, the child's eyes opened and darkness greeted her. She took a sniff and the smell of flowers tickled her nose.

"Ow." She remarked, more out of reflex than anything else. "What just happened?"

Pushing herself off the ground, the girl arranged herself to sit on her butt. She first patted down her dark blue shirt with a pair of red strips. Her blue jeans had a few scuff marks, but overall she appeared in one piece. Her light brown skin appeared unmarked.

"I'm okay." The girl decided before looking back up at the hole she fell in. The drop must have been several dozen meters. "Well, I'm not going back that way."

The girl scanned the area. Ragged walls expanded out into a wide room. Off in the distance she could hear rushing water, but saw only darkness or gray stone. Water dripped off of stalactites and broke upon stalagmites. The only spot of color she could see happened to be the flowers and grass underneath her.

Cupping a hand around her mouth, the girl spun herself around. "Hello! Is anyone there?"

Her own voice answered her.

"Hum…" She sat down for a moment and thought. "What should I do now? Maybe I should just wait here? Miss Cassy always said that if I get lost then I should stay in place."

 _Nobody is going to find you here._

The girl scrambled to her feet. "Who's there?" Only silence answered. "That was odd..."

 _Maybe it would be best to explore up ahead._

Placing a hand on the side of her head, Frisk frowned. "Hmm, maybe that would be a good idea." She glanced up. "But what if someone comes and I'm gone?"

 _I thought I saw some ruins up ahead._

"I did?"

Curiosity had gotten the best of the girl before she started to walk toward a narrow land bridge, then she made it over in to what appeared to be the front of a building. Curved into purple rocks it reminded her of those old Greek buildings she saw in her text book. "But why would they build this underground?"

Upon entering the room, the girl found it rather dark inside. Its roof and walls were shrouded in darkness. Yet, in the center she saw a patch of grass with a lonely flower. Walking over to it, the girl sniffed it.

"Howdy," said a voice. With a yelp the girl fell back on her arms. She blinked in confusion as the flower rose. A smile and a pair of eyes formed. "Are you alright?"

"You talked!"

Placing its leaves on its stem, the flower nodded. "That right. I'm Flowey the Flower."

"I've never met a flower that can talk before." The girl crawled over to the plant and proceeded to poke it.

"Hey now." Flowey's pedal pushed the finger back. "You could damage me if you're not careful."

"Sorry." Getting on her knees, the girl offered a smile. "Hey, Flowey. My name is Frisk."

"You seem kind of lost."

"I was playing on the mountain when I found a random hole. I tripped"- Frisk threw out her arms- "and now I'm here."

"Well, I'd better inform you of what's going on." The flower, spreading his leaves out, beamed. "You're currently underground. There are lots of creatures up ahead. We all live peacefully. Down here, the best way to stay protected is with love."

"Love?" Frisk yelped when her chest started to glow. A heart appeared on it. "What's that?!"

"That's your soul!" Flowey pointed it out. "It is what gives you life and power. If you want to survive down here you're going to need plenty of love." With a flick of it leaves, small white pellets appeared in the air. "These are friendship pellets. I just give them to you and your love will grow."

Images of blood flashed in Frisk's eyes. Stumbling back, she held up her arms in unconscious act of defense. Frowning, the flower tilted his head.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I thought…" Frisk shook her head, letting out an uneasy laugh. "I saw something weird for a moment. Continue." She leapt back when the pellets shot at her. "You know what?! I just remembered to never take odd things from strangers."

"Come on now!" Flowey grinned as he prepared another line of pellets above him. "Just take them."

 _Take them and you'll have a terrible day_ , stated that odd voice. Frisk stepped away from the attacking pellets.

"Stop dodging the bullets!" Flowey lost his smile for a moment, but quickly put it back on. "I mean... Please, accept the pellets."

"How stupid do you think I am?" Frisk started to walk around the plant. She stopped when pellets sprung around her from all sides. Startled, the girl tried to run the through the pellets. She yelped when they stabbed her in the chest.

"Fool!" The flower's eyes enlarged until they looked hauntingly like empty eye sockets. His mouth became rigged. "Do you think you can get away from me? Down here there is only one rule! Killed or be killed." The flower then laughed- a laugh that sounded as if a child had breathed helium. Pellets started to fall upon Frisk. She tried to move away, but they came in too fast.

Just as they encircled the child, flames came in from the west and whirled in a circle. The confused flower looked for the interferer, but a fire ball slammed into him. Screaming, the flower withdrew into the earth, leaving a bare patch of grass was left in its place.

"What a nasty creature..."

Frisk backpedaled as a large humanoid approached her. Clad in purple robes, the being stood almost six feet tall. A sphere with wings flew above three triangles upon her chest. Whitish fur covered her hands and face. Her head appeared to be that of a goat. The girl stared at the woman at the moment, uncertain whether to walk over or run away.

Kneeling, the woman offered a smile. "Poor child, do not be afraid. My name is Toriel. What is yours?"

Sniffing, Frisk grabbed her stomach.

"Are you hurt?" asked the woman, her eyes widening a little. "Can you show me?"

With a small nod, the child pulled up her shirt. Blood flowed down the flesh.

"I can heal that for you." Toriel pulled a bandage out of her pocket, placed it onto the stomach and then kissed it. "Is that better?"

Frisk nodded.

"Sorry if all I have is baseball, but that's all I got. Now, can you be a dear and tell me your name."

"Frisk." Putting down her shirt, the girl offered a smile. "And I don't mind baseball. I like to play games."

"So do I!"

"Where am I? Why did that flower try to hurt me?"

"I will explain, but I think it is best that we head toward my house."

With a nod, Frisk followed Toriel, yet she peered over her shoulder to where the plant once stood.

Entering corridors, the hallways seemed to stretch on forever. Stone blocks and pillars held up the roof. Toriel hummed a tune.

"This place looks old," stated Frisk.

"It is." Toriel spread her arms. "This place is called the ruins, and it has existed for hundreds of years."

"That's a long time."

"It is." They came to a stop in a small square room. A sign hung on a solid wall. "Down here there are many puzzles." She walked over to a set of six panels. Toriel walked on the outer four and the door opened.

"Cool!" Frisk clapped her hands.

With a smile Toriel led the child through the ruins. They came upon a room with switches and Toriel already marked the one that needed to be used. Next they came upon a path of spikes which gave way when walking the right way. Frisk wanted to go alone, but Toriel led her through it. They then came upon a long room.

"Child, I will have to leave you a bit." Toriel darted out of sight. "You must cross the room alone."

"Okay." The child, humming to herself, strolled down the path.

 _She's a bit odd, but nice,_ thought Frisk.

 _She can be a bit overwhelming._

 _Who are you?_

 _I'm you._

 _How can that be?_

 _It's hard to understand. Just know that I'm here to help you. Okay?_

 _Okay!_

Coming to the end of the room, Frisk stopped when Toriel popped out from behind a pillar. "Thank you for trusting me." Toriel greeted with a warm smile.

"I didn't think you would abandon me that easily."

With a nod, Toriel patted the child on the shoulder. "Now, I'm going to ask you to do something. I need you to stay right here."

"Why?"

"There is something I must do." Toriel pulled a cellphone out of her pocket, and set it in Frisk's hand. "If you need anything just call me. Okay?"

"Okay." Frisk tucked the phone into her pocket, then waved Toriel goodbye. Yet as seconds became minutes, boredom set in. Wandering around the room, she tried to find something worth doing.

A frog leapt into Frisk's path. Tilting her head, the child stared at the frog and the frog stared right back. It seemed confused. Smiling, Frisk waved a hand.

"Hello, Mr. Frog. How are you today?"

"Ribbit," croaked the frog.

 _I'm doing well_ , said a voice in Frisk's head, _and you?_

"Having a bad day. I fell through a hole."

"Oh." The frog started to grow a bit. "Are you a human?"

"Yep."

The frog started to grow a bit bigger. Flies started to form around the frog.

 _It looks like it's going to attack!_ stated Frisk's inner voice.

"Mr. Frog," said the child, "Are you going to attack me?" The voice groaned.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because…" The frog frowned. "I'm not quite sure."

"You seem to be a nice person."

Blinking, the frog looked away. "Thanks." The flies went away. "It's just that… you're a human."

"And?"

"Don't you hate me?"

"Why would I?" Frisk knelt down to pat the frog on the head. "Do you want to play with me? I'm bored."

Chuckling, the frog shook it head. "I'm sorry, but I was off getting my son. Yet if you want something just go to the next room. There's some candy there."

"Candy!" Frisk glanced over her shoulder. Her happy expression faded a bit. "But I was told to wait here for Toriel."

"Toriel." The frog jumped. "Oh, she should be easy to find. There are only so many places one can go within the ruins."

 _You heard him! Just keep walking and you'll find her._

"Okay! Thanks for the information." Rushing out of the area, Frisk noticed red leaves on the ground. Bushes grew in some areas. Yet as she looked, she wondered how she could see. The small holes in the roof allowed little sunlight to get through. Where did all the light come from?

Entering a room, Frisk found a bowl of colorful candy on a pedestal. It told her to take one.

 _You can take two_ , said the voice. _It's not like anyone will notice._

With a nod Frisk did as told. Yet she felt a little disturbed as she placed the hard candy into her pocket. Shaking the feeling off, she marched out of the ruin. Curiosity drove her onward. Frogs and creatures that looked like a wet handkerchiefs with wings walked passed them. Froggits and whimsun was what the voice called them. The former hopped up to Frisk and chatted a bit. A few were even kind enough to leave money behind. Frisk tried to talk with the whimsun, but each time she approached they ran away.

Dropping through the floor, Frisk landed with a huff. "Geezs, there a lot of traps here. Maybe if I asked Toriel about them..." Yet, as she pulled out the phone she noticed that there were two doors. She went through one and popped out the other side.

"Odd."

With a quick press of the phone Frisk called Toriel. "Hi! Is anyone there?"

"Of course, child." Toriel sounded happy. "Do you need anything?"

"Nothing, really. I was just curious about the puzzles ahead."

"We will deal with them in time. Are you still in that room?"

"Yes."

"Good. Before we hang up I wish to ask a question. What do you like more? Butterscotch or cinnamon."

"Cinnamon!"

"Good to know. Be good now."

"Yes ma'am."

Frisk kept walking and checked the floor this time. Cracks riddled through them. She managed to get a way before she fell through and crunched a pile of leaves. Chuckling, she stood. She noticed a sign and read it.

 _Don't walk on the leaves._

The girl walked the cleared path that matched the one underground. Yet she walked on a spot of leaves to read another sign. It rebuked her for misbehaving. With a chuckle she kept on going. The traps she encountered were fun, but none she would call challenging.

Frisk paused upon seeing a sign.' _Spider Bake sale up a head_ ' it read. Frisk walked in to see a couple of cobwebs. Another sign told her that to buy stuff just set her money on the webs. She had never heard of a spider taking money. Yet she took out her coins and gave it a try. A smile formed when a spider dropped down and gave her a doughnut.

"Thank you!" Frisk placed the doughnut in her pocket, then kept on going. She reached a room with a naked tree. Red leaves sat on the ground. Toriel walked out of a house made of bricks. "Hey, Toriel."

Jumping, the goat woman rushed open. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay put."

"I got bored."

"Well… I guess it was much to ask for a child to stay put. I was hoping to save a surprise for you." Toriel took hold of Frisk's hand and led her into the house. "Your new home."

The house was of decent size. Upon entering, one spotted a staircase going deeper into the earth. Plants and stands scattered around the room. Looking about, Frisk hummed.

"This is a nice place." Frisk looked to the goat woman. "Can I stay here awhile until someone finds me?"

Nodding, Toriel gestured to the rest of the house. "Of course you can."

"Have you dialed 911 yet?"

"911?"

"It's the number you're supposed to call when you get in trouble."

"Aw." Kneeling down, Toriel patted Frisk on the head. "I already did that. Now, why don't you look around for a bit and get comfortable." With a nod, Frisk explored the place. There were two main parts of the house. A hallway contained all the rooms in the western portion. Go east and one would find a kitchen and living room.

Frisk spotted the pie, but Toriel told her to wait. She just finished it with her fire magic. Frisk then went into two of the three rooms- one was being remodeled. The first had been made in mind of a kid. A toy box sat at the foot of the bed. Against one wall sat a bookcase and table. The former was filled with books for kids her age while the other was empty, spare for a photo frame that someone had forgotten to put a picture in. Frisk also noticed the many shoes in the box, but ignored them.

The other room happened to be Toriel's. The child took one peek in and decided to stay out. It would be rude to invade another person's privacy. She started down the hall and found a long passage way. Walking down it, she glanced about. Curiosity drew her forward.

"Frisk!" Toriel rushed over. "This isn't a play area."

"It's not?"

"You can play anywhere in the ruins or in the house, but you can't be down here. Okay?"

"Okay!"

Days came and went. At first, Frisk enjoyed her stay at the little home. She was free of school until Toriel started to tutor her. The girl complained at first, but when the teaching started the goat woman turned out to be a good teacher. Math, geography, reading, and art were just a few of the courses that the teacher taught.

During her free time, Frisk split time between the house and the ruins. Each day in the morning she would go out and talk with the monsters. They seemed wary of her at first, but as time went on they joined her in games of hop scotch and hide and seek. Even a few of the whimsun talked with her for a bit. She would go from the house all to the way to the flowerbed. Of course, she watched out for the flower, but he stayed gone.

The child's favorite place happened to be the room where she could overlook the city. Leaning on the wall, she peered down at the enormous cavern. Buildings ten stories tall reached for the roof. Crystal embedded in the roof twinkled as if struck by sunlight. She could sat there for a couple of hours before going home or going to play some more. One time she even found a plastic knife under a layer of bushes. She showed it to Toriel and she took it away.

"It's not a toy to play with."

When at home Frisk played games with her toys. She also spent plenty of time snuggling with Toriel in the living room, with a fire roasting to their right as they spent hours reading books. They ranged from One Hundred Facts of Snails to stories of brave monsters saving people's lives. Of course, there were chores and Frisk helped with the cooking.

One morning the child woke up and walked outside to greet the sun. She looked at the ceiling and frowned. She walked back inside to see Toriel placing a breakfast of pancakes and eggs on the dining table.

"Toriel," said Frisk. "How long do you think it takes for people to get here?"

Almost dropping the platter, Toriel coughed. "Why do you mention that?"

"Because I would think Miss Cassy would have picked me up already?"

"Who's Miss Cassy?" Toriel set the platter on the table.

"She's my foster mom."

"Foster mom."

"Yeah. My real parents are missing so I'm staying with her." Frisk frowned. "She's not a bad person, she's just taking care of me until someone else comes along. I would call you my real mom."

Blinking, the goat woman placed a hand to her mouth. "My dear… I would be honor to do so."

"But first I have to tell Cassy I'm fine. Once she's aware I'm with you and you're treating me well, she doesn't have to worry about me anymore." Crossing her arms, Frisk nodded. "Then I get to tell the other kids that I've got a goat for a mom. That is so awesome. I can also brag…"

Frisk fell silent as tears slipped down Toriel's face. "Mom…?"

"Please give me a second to excuse myself," Toriel whispered before rushing off.

 _You're not going home._

Leaping, the child grabbed her head. _You have been silent for a while._

 _Don't you get it? Toriel is lying to you. You're never going home._

 _She wouldn't lie._

 _Think on it for a bit. It has been a month and no one tried to find you? Mom isn't doing anything else that may be called useful. In fact, she's acting more like you're going to stay for a long time._

 _No._ Shaking her head, Frisk grimaced, yet Toriel did act like that.

Shaking her head, Frisk rushed out of the house and to her favorite room. Just as she entered, something wet hit her on top of the head. Blinking, she glanced up. It might be raining on the surface. Drips of water fell from the ceiling.

With a sigh, Frisk leaned on the wall. She stared at the city. A part of her wanted to jump down and just walk among it.

"I can't believe you're still here!"

Spinning around, Frisk screamed as Flowey stood before her. A frown crossed his face. Jumping onto the wall, Frisk glanced for a way out. The flower blocked the door with vines. The only other way happened to be down.

"Why are you here?"

"To figure why it's taking you so long to get going?" Tilting his head, Flowery hummed. "Chara, are you sure you have control?"

"Who's Chara?"

If the flower heard, he showed little signs of it. Shaking his head, he sighed. "Maybe you don't have a weapon. It can be kind of hard to get past Toriel without one."

"Why would I want to get past Toriel?"

"Because the only way out is to get to the castle and the barrier." Flowey sighed. "Good grief. This is going to be harder than I thought."

"You're lying. I fell through that hole and-"

"Once you fall in, there is no way out." A sly grin slid onto Flowery's face. "Have you forgotten that as well?" Vines sprouted from the ground. "Look, I'm too weak to get past that old goat, but maybe I can distract her. Now get down from there. You're going to get hurt."

"Why do you care?!" The vines approached Frist. She tried to get away. Her foot stepped onto air and the world pulled her down. A shrill scream escaped her mouth as Frisk fell. She screamed all the way down to the bottom of the pit. Only a sudden splat stopped it. Startled monsters surrounded her to see what happened, but darkness engulfed her before the pain could take effect.

 _I knew from a young age that my family was abnormal. Daddy never told me what happened to Mommy. She stayed with us for a couple years and left with the wind. Daddy was a kind soul, but a ghost of sorrow refused to leave him. Sometimes it would leave him be and he would smile all day. He would pick me up and swing me through the air._

 _Other days the ghost crushed Daddy under its weight. On the worst days, he refused to leave his room. I would enter his room to see him lying on the bed. I would beg him to wake up and get to work, but even when he tried the chains dragged him to bed._

 _It was those days which I had to skip school to care for Daddy. I became skilled with cooking ware to keep us fed. Floors were mopped, windows were cleaned, and chores were completed. Yet my worse task was to find some way to get Daddy free of the ghost. So I would put on plays for him. I tried my best to make something as funny and entertaining as possible. That's how the people on the T.V help depressed people. I heard that laughter was the best medicine._

 _But Daddy never laughed. The most he could do was a smile that told me he was sorry. I hated that smile._

 _Once the ghost went away Daddy would always apologize to me. That nothing that happened to him was the result of me. Yet, when I was ill or not feeling well Daddy always helped me feel better. Even the worst diseases would seem a little less bad when he at my bedside and reading me my favorite story._

 _I started to hate myself._

Gasping, Frisk sat up and screamed. Her voice echoed down the cavern. Bats flew from their roost. Placing a hand on her chest, the girl searched for any pain, and found that she felt none. Stunned, she looked down to see her body free of injury. Upon seeing the bed of yellow flowers again, she screamed.

The girl scrambled away on all fours. Her eyes searched for the evil flower. Yet the flowers held their place. Taking deep breaths, Frisk stumbled to her feet. It took a few moments, but she managed to settle down.

"That was… odd." Frisk glanced about. "How did I get here? I fell off the cliff and…" Shivering, she shook the dreadful cold away. "I'm alive. It's all a bad dream. I must have fell asleep on these flowers and had a bad dream. That's got to be it."

Taking one last breath, the girl grinned. "All I need to do now is go back to Toriel. She's probably worried about me."

Frisk reached into her pocket for her doughnut and frowned. She just bought one a few hours ago. Did she eat it already? With a shrug Frisk walked off. She could probably grab a piece of candy if she really wanted to. Entering the first large building, Frisk froze in the doorway.

"Howdy!" shouted a little, yellow flower. "It's me, Flowey."

With terrified screech, Frisk rushed to the flower and stomped on it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Everything seemed so surreal. Toriel 'rescued' Frisk again and took her back home. The girl tried to say hello to her friends, but they glared at her for a couple of days. Going to the spiders, Frisk tried to ask them if they remembered her. Through using a large amount of their body, the spiders wrote out letters that stated that she was the first customer in a long time.

Frisk went through the motions for a couple of weeks. She tried to find anything that made sense. Anything to disprove the world that it was wrong. Yet when she found the plastic knife at her favorite place, she had to accept the truth. Somehow, she managed to go back in time after she was killed.

Frisk returned to her room and hid the knife under her bed. Flapping onto the mattress, she laid there for a little while to think. All of this seemed wrong. Yet she remembered her little conversation with Flowery.

. . .

 _"Aw..." The flower yelled as it weaved around Frisk's feet. "Settle down now. There's no need to get upset with me."_

 _"You tried… you killed…" Frisk growled as she kept on trying to stomp on the flower. "Go away!"_

 _Disappearing into the ground, the flower popped out near the other door. "Chara! I understand that your memories are gone, but there's no need to kill me. Please settle down for a moment so I can explain everything."_

 _"Said the jerk who wanted to kill or be killed."_

 _Flowery shrugged. "Guilty as charged, but trust me on this. You and I are the only people down here who are aware of the Saves."_

 _Hearing the word stopped Frisk in a second. "The what?"_

 _"The Saves."_

 _"As in... like, video games?"_

 _"Correct."_

 _"That thing where I can save at one spot and return to another spot later on?"_

 _"That's more or less the sum of it."_

 _Frisk thought upon it for a moment. It sounded insane, but here she was, talking with a flower after death. Now that she thought about it, she was certain that she had perished._

 _"Let's say that I believe you for a moment; what exactly are saves and how is this even possible?"_

 _"The 'how' part I'm uncertain of." Flowery shrugged. "I don't know much more about the 'what' either, but I know enough. Saves are points in time where you can 'save' your existence. You can then 'load' yourself to that previous save. Everything that happened after it disappeared, but everything before it is protected."_

 _"In short, I can control time."_

 _"Yep."_

 _Falling to the ground, Frisk blinked. "Wow."_

 _"I was trying to kill you earlier to show you that ability, but then that goat mom got in the way." Chuckling, the flower rubbed the back of his head. "I'll admit it wasn't the greatest of my ideas."_

 _"How do I save?"_

 _"There are these special stars which only we can see. I'm uncertain to all of their locations, but I'm certain that you can find them in most places."_

 _Frisk shook her head. "This has got to be a dream."_

 _"Believe it or not, that's just how it is." Flowery smirked as he glanced over her shoulder. "The goat is coming. Remember what you can of the last time line. You know what you must do."_

. . .

"Frisk!" called Toriel. "It is time for dinner!"

Climbing out of bed, Frisk marched to the dinner table. There Toriel had set out a meal of fresh vegetables, baked pig, and cinnamon pie. Throughout most of the dinner the two sat in silence. Toriel tried to strike up conversation by asking if they could read a book- one that they read in the previous time line.

Frisk poked at her meal. It felt as if acid climbed up her throat. As in the other time line Toriel forbid her from going beyond the door in the basement. It must lead to a larger portion of the cave and to the barrier. Whatever was there may be the key to all this.

"Frisk?" Toriel placed a hand on the child shoulder. "Are you feeling well? You seemed out of it."

"I'm sorry." Closing her eyes, the child took a deep breath. "It just that it had been kind of stressful, you know. I'm hoping Miss Cassy will find me soon."

"Who's that?"

Frisk smiled as she explained, yet she felt a little part of her cringe. Pushing back the chair, Frisk stared at the ground. "May I be excused?"

"You know you won't get desert tonight if you leave."

Frisk nodded.

"Then you may."

Frisk searched the house for a save point. If she was going to try something crazy, she would like a chance to reset the world. She found it in the bushes in the front yard. Hidden behind the bushes was a four-pointed star. Poking it, she yelped when a warm feeling washed through her suddenly and without warning.

A screen popped in front of her. It asked if she would like to save or not. Pushing the yes button, she smiled when it stated that the save was confirmed. Frisk wanted to test it out, but to do so meant dying. She would rather hold off on that.

Going back into the house, Frisk found Toriel sitting on her chair. She read a book on snails. Toriel pulled the book away to let the girl sit on her lap. There they sat for a while. Frisk wanted it to last, but she knew she needed to go home.

"Mom," said Frisk, "What is downstairs?"

Toriel fell into a silence.

"Does this have to do with me not able to go home?" Frisk looked away from her mom. "It has been awhile now. I told people where I was going. They should have come to get me by now."

Toriel stayed silent for a while. "Frisk, can you please go play. I need to do something."

Obediently, Frisk hopped off of the mother, but followed her down the stairs.

"Frisk," Toriel warned, "I'm warning you right now that you need to leave."

"Tell me the truth." Frisk took hold of the knife in her pocket. "Why can't I go home?"

 _Yes…_

Toriel held her silence.

 _Make her speak._

"Why can't I go home?!"

Toriel kept walking.

"Mom!"

"If I let you leave here you will die." Toriel finally said after coming to a stop, but she still held her ground. "You're not the first to come here. You're not the first to ultimately be killed by Asgore."

"Who's Asgore?"

"A monster that hates humans. He will kill you for your soul."

"Why?"

Silence answered.

"Fine. At least tell me if there is a way out of here?"

"There is, but again, if you leave you will be killed."

"And if I'm not?"

Toriel kept going. Frisk followed.

They kept going down the long hallway until they came upon a giant door. The symbol that was sewn onto Toriel's outfit curved into the stone. Toriel looked at Frisk with determination in her eyes. Her hands spread out. Flames sprung alive in them and encircled the magician.

"I will destroy this gate." Toriel bowed her head. "No one else will go through here and get killed. If you want to pass me you'll have to prove your strength."

"What?" Frisk flinched when her chest started to glow and her heart appeared.

"Prove to me that you can survive."

Flames swarmed Frisk. She crouched into herself with her hands over her head. She pulled away from the intolerable heat. A chanting echoed in her head.

 _Yes, yes, yes. Now do you see her true nature? Evil, evil, evil. We must kill. Kill, kill, kill!_

Yet Frisk stared at her mother with love. Even if Toriel can't remember the other timeline she knew that she wanted nothing more than what best for her. Something hot slammed into Frisk's arms and the girl stumbled back.

 _Take the knife and stab her!_

Shaking that thought away, Frisk started to weave around the flames. "Mom. Please stop." Toriel remained silence. "I'm not going to fight you." The flames came from above and below. Heat scorched the child, but she refused to bow.

"Mom, I will not fight you. Please move." As she said this Frisk marched forward. Toriel refused to move. Yet the flames started to hit to the side of the girl. Curiosity brought her to a stop. Frisk stood there and few if any of the flames came within a half of foot of her. "Mom, I'm know you want me to be safe. I know you want me to stay alive, but I can't stay down here forever. You know what I want to be when I grow up?"

Toriel looked away.

"I want to be an airplane pilot. You know what airplanes are? They fly through the air at fast speeds." Frisk spread her arms out in demonstration. "Where it may take a car a week to get to place it takes only a plane a day to do so." Clapping her hands together, Frisk grinned. "Oh! I love to stare out the window of a plane. Everything looks so small."

"Stop it."

"Maybe we can go up in one sometime. You had been down here for a long time right."

"Why won't you just attack me?"

 _I wish I could._ The voice, sounding sad, whispered to Frisk. _I want to end the suffering._

Clapping her hands together, Frisk grinned. "We can go to all sort of places. I know! Once you become a teacher I can fly you to work each day. Then you can jump out of the plane and parachute down to the earth. That would make all the kids happy!"

The flames started to die down. They kept on coming, but the small sparks struck and disappeared. Bowing her head, the mother sniffed.

"Please stop it Frisk."

"But Mom." Frisk walked up to her and hugged the woman. "I like you, but I can't stay down here. I want to see the sun again."

"I know." Hugging the child back, Toriel knelt down. "I understand that." She pulled away. "But once you go through that door you can't come back." The mother rushed off. Stunned, the child chased after her and they kept running until they came upon the golden flowers. Frisk jerked back from them when she first spotted them, but relaxed when _the_ flower failed to appear.

Kneeling down, Toriel stared at the flowers. "You should just get going. Somebody needs to stay here to care for the flowers."

"How many people have gone before me?"

"Seven in all. Asgore killed six and now needs a seventh soul is needed to complete his plans." Bowing her head, Toriel sighed. "Child, I have one last word of advice for you. There are going to be some scary things beyond those doors. Yet you must stay determined. Do not slow down and don't look back. If you want to return home you have to stay determined. Beyond all else, please don't be angry at any of the monsters you may encounter. Even if they attack you, please have mercy on them."

Frisk hugged her mother from behind. "Of course I will! If they are good people then there is no need to hurt them."

"Thank you, my child." Petting the flowers, Toriel smiled to herself. "If you like, you can take a slice of pie, but other than that please leave nothing else behind. You must get to the castle and then to the barrier. There you will find what you want." With a nod the child did as she was asked. Tucking the pie into her pocket, the child left the ruins.

Frisk froze once more as Flowey appeared in a dark room. A confused frown on his face. The girl thought of rushing on by, but decided against it. He can summon bullets and vines with ease. She would rather face him than get shot in the back.

"Hello, Flowey."

"Do you think you can get through this without harming anyone?" Flowey shook his head. "That old goat was always soft. There are other monsters out there who will kill without second thought."

"I'm not afraid."

"Do you think this is some sort of game?" Flowey questioned with a sigh. "Wake up! Mommy and Daddy aren't going to come and save you."

"Then I'll just have to do it myself." Frisk marched past Flowery.

"Really now. Well, at least you're as stubborn as usual." A vine popped out in front of Frisk. "At least make a promise with me."

"What type of promise?"

"That if you make friends with everyone you will not leave me behind." An awful grin appeared on his face. "That way I can tear them apart with ease."

"Okay then." Frisk shook the flower's leaf in lieu of a hand. "But I'm telling you now you're not going to like the ending."

 _How long are you going to let him stay trapped in that flower?_

 _What are you talking about? This is like the third time I meet it._

 _Then you don't remember. Good._

 _Strange voice, you're acting weird._

 _Bite me._

"See you later, Flowey." With that said Frisk shoved open the doors and stepped out of the ruins.

A cold breeze blasted the child in the face. Cringing, she stepped outside. Snow crunched under her feet. For a brief moment she thought of going back inside. Stone slammed together. Frisk glanced back to see the doors had closed themselves. The only way to go now was forward.

Frisk had no idea where she was. By sight along she could see many old, conifers towering overhead. Their needles dusted by snow. Off to her right she spotted a bush with something gleaming inside it. She took a look and spotted a camera.

"That's odd." Frisk tried to take the camera, but it was anchored into place. With trees to either side of her, she followed the cleared path. She covered her eyes to protect them from snow glare. Yet she was certain she spotted a bridge with an odd structure over it.

The crunching of snow drew her attention over her shoulder. She glanced in that direction to see the path cleared. Yet there was a second, larger set of footprints in the snow. Gulping, the child kept on walking toward the bridge. The crunching of snow kept on getting louder, so she picked up the pace. Frisk reached the bridge when she felt someone appear behind her. Gulping, she prayed that whoever it was would be good.

Then almost on its own volition her body turned around and grabbed the person's hand. She blinked when it farted. Frisk let out a yelp when she spotted the skeleton. The stocky, wide skeleton wore a blue jacket and shorts. She would have dismissed his face for a mask if there she wasn't handling a bony hand.

"Odd…" said the skeleton. Then he laughed. "What's with that face? You look like you've seen a ghost?"

"You're a skeleton."

"And you're the oddest monster I've ever seen." The skeleton pulled his hand back to tuck the fart bag into his pocket. "Unless you're a human."

"I am."

"You're the first one I've ever met. The name's Sans."

"Frisk."

"Nice to meet ya. Hey, mind doing me a favor?"

"I guess." Frisk scratched her chin. "Though I'm kind of busy at the moment."

 _Amuse the comedian._

"No worry. If you're going in this direction then you can help plenty. You see my brother, Papyrus, is going around trying to capture a human." Sans pointed to the odd structure. It looked like a fence with three large poles. The second one had been cut. "He set out trips like these to capture them, but as you can see he's not the best at them. You would make his day if he sees you."

"I'm not sure if I want to be captured."

Sans shook his head. "He got no bone to pick with you and you don't need a skeleton key to get away."

"Hm?"

Shrugging, Sans walked ahead. "Just follow me. He should be somewhere up ahead."

With a nod Frisk did as told. They came upon a clearing and for some reason a person left a lamp near a small stall. The stall was little more than a square box with a roof. Sans came to a halt.

"Hey kid, go hide behind the lamp real quick."

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to make this a surprise."

Nodding her head, Frisk went behind the lamp. Just as she stepped around it a sharp pain went through her head. She almost feel to her knees, but somehow managed to keep on standing. Staring straight ahead, she blinked upon seeing a small boy. Dressed in heavy clothing a goat boy played in the snow, while Toriel stood nearby. A pang of sadness rippled through her heart, but she also was confused. Did she have visions before?

 _Before what?_

 _I don't know_. Frisk placed a hand to her head. Something about all this seem… off.

"Mommy!" shouted the goat boy. "What's taking you so long?"

"I'm coming." Toriel walked over with her hands filled with snowballs. "It's hard to walk around with this much snow. Chara! Hurry now. We are about to go snowboarding."

"Hey kid!" Sans snapped a pair of fingers in front of Frisk's face. "Are you alright?"

Blinking, the child shook her head. "I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, that's all."

"Stood up too fast? That happens for me from time to time. Anyhow, my brother is just ahead. Are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

With a nod Sans went ahead. Frisk waited a few minutes before following. She had to smile upon seeing the taller brother. Compared to Sans, Papyrus was a good two feet taller and skinnier. His upper half covered by a white shirt while shorts covered his hips. His midsection was little more than a spine. The wind blew at the rough red scarf, making Frisk wish that she had his red gloves.

"Come on Sans! You need to work harder on finding that human! You know that if I return without one then I will look stupid."

"Sorry brother, but I looked everywhere."

"You spent half of your time sleeping in your guard house."

"It's cozy in there."

"You better be on alert. You never know when a human may appear! They are crafty creatures. If Undyne's information is correct they can do amazing things!" The taller skeleton spread his arms out. "With just a single word and an odd device they can summon giant robots. They can also carry giant swords that should be impossible to wield. Oh, they can also control your mind if you're not careful."

Shivering in the wind, Frisk coughed into her arm. The taller skeleton looked beyond the human. His eye sockets narrowed.

"Hey Sans. I think I see a human."

"You do?" Sans asked as he looked in Frisk's direction.

"Yeah, and it looks familiar."

"Maybe because it's a rock."

"I'm freezing out here!" shouted Frisk.

Leaping, Papyrus slapped his face. "It's a human, Sans." He hopped form foot to foot. "I found one."

"What are we going to do now?"

"We got to lure it into the traps."

"I'm a girl," stated Frisk.

"We got to lure her into the traps." With a hand raise over his head the taller skeleton dashed away. "Come this way, human! There is plenty of food to eat in this direction."

Grinning, the child followed the skeletons. As she came upon a clear field her head hurt again. Papyrus mentioned something about seeing her once, but Frisk could hear little of it. Something had driven a knife into her skull.

"Hey, Papyrus. Can you just hand me the sphere already."

"Oh no." The taller skeleton covered his forehead. "She is already reading my great mind."

"Brother," said Sans, "We don't have brains. We're numbskulls."

Papyrus laughed. "Damn it Sans! This is no time for those awful jokes."

"Guys, it is cold out here and all I'm wearing is jeans and a shirt."

"Oh?" Humming, Papyrus grabbed his chin. "It would be bad if you were to freeze to death. Do you want my scarf and gloves? I can lend them to you."

"Sure." Frisk stepped forward and a bolt of electricity shocked the skeleton.

"Aw! The human is attacking me!"

Laughing, Sans patted his brother on the back. "Papyrus, you got the sphere for the electric grid."

"Oh yeah." The taller skeleton, leaving tracks in the snow, walked through the maze. "Here you go human. Here is my scarf and gloves." Papyrus gave them over the child. Putting them on, Frisk sighed. She still needed a coat, but as she tucked her hands under her arms pits she felt them warm up. The scarf stopped the worst of the wind.

"Are you going to be okay without these?" asked Frisk.

"No worry." Papyrus clapped his hands together. "I have no skin, therefor I am unable to feel the cold. Now, here is the sphere." The skeleton placed it on top of Frisk's head. She bit back laughter as the skeleton backtracked the way he came. "Try going to maze."

"Okay." The girl followed Papyrus steps.

"Incredible!" Scratching his chin, the taller skeleton shook his head. "I spent weeks getting that set up right. No matter! I'll just have to baffle you with more puzzles!" With that said the skeleton darted off.

Frisk watched Papyrus disappeared. "He's not too bright, is he?"

"I wouldn't say that." Sans told her with a shake his head. "It's more like he's too eager to get the job done and plan only a step ahead. Thanks for playing along. He's really enjoying himself." The fatter skeleton yawned. "Though I wish he wasn't so energetic. Just a heads up, the royal guard is up ahead."

"Who?"

"The castle elite force. They are station out here to keep a watch out for any enemies." Sans shrugged. "You're the first human to appear in years. I'm going on ahead to keep my brother company. Have fun."

Shaking her head, Frisk walked after Sans. Yet he stepped behind a tree and disappeared. Blinking, Frisk checked the tree itself to see if it had anything special about it. However, the prickly branches convinced her to stay away.

A reindeer charged her. Yelping, she leapt out of the way. Scrambling across the snow on hand and feet, the child stared at the creature. It looked like another reindeer like on the surface, but its antlers appeared to be trees. It also had a heavy layer of lights and ornaments on it antlers.

"You little brat!" shouted the reindeer. "You think it's funny to put this stuff on me!"

"Since when did I do that?!"

"I'm getting sick and tired of you kids doing this to me."

Frisk yelped when her heart started to glow. With a shake of the head the reindeer summoned a snowstorm. The tiny ice crystal cut into the child's heart. She thanked the skeleton for giving her the scarf.

 _That gyftrot attacked you without reason. You have the right to attack back._

 _But_ _he's upset because someone put stuff on him without asking._ Holding her ground, Frisk took a deep breath. _He's just upset_. "Excuse me. Mr. Gyftrot."

"What?"

"Would you like me take the decorations off?"

"What?" The snowstorm died down as the reindeer walked toward the girl.

"I can take that stuff off of you." Frisk gestured for the gyftrot to kneel down. It glared at Frisk, but after a moment it did as told.

 _This is a perfect chance to attack!_

Frisk ignored the voice as she worked on untangling the wires off the antlers. "You seem pretty mad."

"Of course I am." The reindeer snorted. "I was sleeping just fine until some brats hit me in the face with a snowball. Then I wake up and found this damn stuff on my head."

Nodding, Frisk got the lights off. "That's mean."

"Tell me about it. It's not just me. Dozens of my kind have brats doing it to us. Mind doing me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you go find those damn guards and make them useful for once? All they do is goof around by looking for humans." The reindeer huffed. "Seriously, can you believe those guys? It had been decade since the last human came here. They must have wised up and avoided the mountain."

Frisk chuckled uneasily. "Yeah… Most humans wouldn't go near the mountain. They believe that it is curse."

"They do?"

Frisk nodded her head.

"Geeze. No wonder it took forever for the first human to fall in here."

"First human?"

"Don't ask for details, but all I know is that a human fell down here decades ago. The royal family took it in and then something went wrong." Once the last of the decorations came off, the reindeer remained where he was. "Thank you! That feels so much better."

 _Now give him a gift._

 _All I have is some coins, pie, spider donut, and candy. I don't want to give him my food._

 _Then give him the coins, genius._

 _Okay_. Pulling the coins from her pocket, she handed it over to the reindeer. "Want these?"

"A gift for me!" The gyftrot rammed his head into the child's chest. "Thanks. I'm feeling better already."

Chuckling, the child patted the reindeer on the head. "You're welcome."

"Now if you excuse me I need to go deal with something."

The reindeer ran off. Frisk shook her head before continuing. Other monster appeared nearby, but ignored her for the most part. They sort of assumed she was another monster.

Though she found it somewhat funny, she also questioned how much truth there happen to be. She met a pair of skeletons that could had been humans at one point.

Frisk came upon a path with a small, wooden structure beside it. It almost reminded her of a toll stop. Just as she walked past it a dog sat up. About the size of a male human the dog swung it head from side to side.

"Who's there?"

"Nobody."

"Don't lie!" The white furred dog demanded as he leapt out of the stand. He yanked a pair of short swords from his belt. Snow dusted his pink shirt marked with a dog face. His leopard pants were tucked into his shoes. "I saw you. Now where are you?"

Rolling her eyes, Frisk started to leave. She ducked when the blade went for her head. The dog lunged at the area the girl stood in. His blades glowed a dark blue as he swung them about.

"Hold still! Now!"

"No thank you." Frisk tried to run, but the dog darted in front of her. A blade nicked her on the neck as she scrambled back. Her soul started to glow.

 _There's no excuse now!_ shouted the voice. _He's trying to do harm to you. Either you stand and fight or he'll kill you!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The dog kept hacking away at Frisk. The glowing blue blade nipped at her face and shirt. Diving away from a strike, Frisk skid across the ground. Her inner self seemed to be groaning. Maybe if she threw the stick…

 _Wait… when did I pick up a stick?_ Rolling away from a strike, she pulled out a slender tree branch. With a shrug she tossed it over her shoulder. The dog froze to the spot, his eyes tracking the stick. Getting to her feet, Frisk grabbed hold of the knife. Should she even bother with it? How can a plastic knife do any harm compared to a couple of swords?

Frisk blinked when the dog chased after the stick. He came to the area it landed and stopped. He scanned the place in confusion; the stick laid in the snow at his feet. Frisk tilted her head.

"It can't see the stick."

The dog turned around. "Come on!" Waving his sword, the dog growled. "Come and fight me, human." He stared right at the human, but just kept walking about. Frisk moved a hand and the dog glanced in her direction. She then held still. Growling, the dog started to march around.

 _It can only see me when I move._

 _You just figure this out?_ The voice snorted. _Could it be that you can't remember anything either?_

 _Pardon?_

 _Just a pro tip from me. When the dog swings at you with his blades, just hold completely still. They can't harm you._

That went against all logic that Frisk understood. Yet everything down in this cave seemed to laugh at common sense. So she decided to test it out by waving the hand. The worst thing that could happen was that she die and be forced to walk back here.

 _Hold up!_ thought Frisk. _I hadn't saved in a while!_

It was too late, however, as the dog swept his blade at Frisk. Passing right through her, the child waited for some sort of pain to appear. Yet she felt fine. Blinking, she glanced at her body. She was free of blood. The sword swung again and went right through her and done little harm.

Who in the world created magic where standing still will let you go unharmed?

"Where did you go?" The dog turned around. Frisk reached over to pet his neck. "Hey!" The blades struck yet they just went on through. "Who did that?"

Frisk petted the dog again. "I can't see you, but you're petting me." The sword kept on swinging around. Yet Frisk made sure to hold as still as possible. "Enough!" Sheathing his blades, the dog hopped into the stand. "I need to smoke a biscuit." Frisk walked over to the stand and peered inside. The dog had laid down and placed a smoking bone biscuit into its mouth.

"Sorry, but I got to go."

"Just leave me alone."

"Okay." With that said Frisk darted off.

 _You're an idiot_ , stated the voice.

 _And you're a jerk._

 _He tried to kill you._

 _But he didn't._

 _Don't blame me if you get hurt._

With a hum Frisk continued down the path. At some point she found a map under a snow bank. Since a pair of spikes blocked her path, she followed the map to the X. It happened to be a wide cleared spot compared to the snow covered area. Pushing the button allowed her to go through.

Frisk paused for a moment to stare off the plateau she stood upon. Somehow the cave permit mountains and valleys to exist. Trees covered in snow stretched for miles. She grinned to herself as she walked on. She should found the skeleton brothers soon enough.

Frisk stopped when two dogs dressed in dark hoods rushed her. Wielding axes, they kneeled down and sniffed her. She tried to put on a smile, but backpedaled when one of the dogs tried to take off her head.

"Hey!"

"It smells funny," stated one of the dogs.

"It does," stated the other. "We must kill it."

The duo sprinted around Frisk. Axes glazed the ground as they encircled her. With a yelp the child ducked under the swipes. The axes hit one another.

"Yikes!" shouted one of the dogs. "Be careful, Dogamy!"

Stumbling back, Dogmay growled. "I am, Dogaressa. The human is just slippery."

Reaching for the stick-when did she pick it up?- Frisk threw it away. She blinked when it went over the side of the plateau.

"Oh, stick!" Dogaressa jumped off the side of the cliff.

"Wait for me!" Dogmay followed.

 _Wow_ , said the voice, _does that count as a kill?_

"Why do I get a feel like that worked better somewhere else?"

 _No really, does that count as a kill or a suicide. You did off them, but something told me that doesn't count._

"Can I retry that?"

 _Want a little help?_

"I thought that you want me to kill monsters?"

 _You didn't kill them. Those idiots offed themselves._

Frisk felt a shook in her hands and a square panel of light appear in front of her.

 _While you kept on forgetting to save, I took the liberty to save back there. Now, just push the load button and everything should go the way as it should._

"I'm not sure if I trust you."

 _Would you rather have those dogs dead?_

Gulping, Frisk pushed the button.

. . .

 _The kids at schools are jerks. Most of the time they were normal jerks. They just wanted to move on with their lives with little trouble, and if that meant avoiding the girl with the weird dad, they'll be more than happy to do so. Then there were the jerks that just wanted to screw with people. They dig into your skin, find the nerves, and then string them like a guitar until you begged for mercy._

 _I just so happen to be the kid that got their loving attention. Each day during class, when the teacher seemed to vanish at the best time, they play with me. First thing they always do was try to take me away from my own game. It may be a book or it could be me drawing about a tale of me being a grand hero. They would tear my world away, but I still wore my armor._

 _They jabbed at my parents' good name. They questioned why I kept to myself and never bothered to hang out with other people. Maybe it due to an odd smell. It could also be the creepy face I made when I got upset or angry with someone. No matter how I tried to ignore them, someone always managed to make me do that creepy face._

 _When they wanted to go on a more stealthy approach, I would go home and find my book bag filled with peanut butter. Inappropriate words and pictures placed in odd places. The best one happened to be the time I picked up my lunch bag and squeezed a little too hard- someone had hidden a balloon in it and it exploded on me._

 _I never told the teachers or my father anything. The former were idiots who would let a mass murder slip into the room. My father already had enough troubles in life. So I kept the torture a secret. I knew one day I would be away from there and have nothing else to do with school again._

 _I hated the people there._

. . .

Frisk yelped when a pair of axes came her way. Ducking, she avoided having her head being cut in two. The axes slammed together.

"Yikes!" shouted one of the dogs. "Be careful, Dogamy!"

Stumbling back, Dogamy growled. "I am, Dogaressa. The human is just slippery."

 _This isn't funny!_ thought Frisk.

The voice laughed. _It looks funny to me._

Dropping to the ground, Frisk rolled around. The axes slammed down around her. As she rolled to a stop, she froze. One of the dogs started shouting white and blue hearts out of it mouth. She came to a stop and a blue heart passed right through her.

"Can you stop attacking me?!" exclaimed Frisk.

"But you smell bad," stated Dogamy.  
"Yeah!"

"I don't smell that bad!"

The duo sniffed the child again. "It's a puppy!" they exclaimed in union.

Frisk stared at the two. Uncertain whether to laugh or let out a heavy sigh. The dogs kept on sniffing her, as they did so she petted them.

"A dog can pet a dog!" the duo exclaimed to each other.

Dogaressa hugged her company. "This is shocking news."

"Indeed." Dogmay started to kiss Dogaressa. Turning around, Frisk gagged a little.

 _Got any brain bleach?_

"Thank you puppy," said the dogs, "Our world had been expanded." Hand in hand the two dogs marched off.

"Some of those monsters aren't too bright."

 _Tell me about it. Well, that's another opportunity down the drain. Shall we keep going?_

With a nod the child kept walking. She found another puzzle left behind by the skeleton, though she would hardly call it one. Just stepped on the X, turned it into an O, and then stepped on a panel. The spikes disappeared with ease.

Walking into an area, Frisk glanced to the skeletons and then to a piece of paper. "What now?"

"Sans set up a puzzle." Papyrus pointed to the paper. "Take a look."

Doing as she told, Frisk stared at the cross puzzle. "Guys." She handed the paper over to San. "I don't have a marker on me. Do you have one?"

Papyrus opened his mouth and paused. "Damn it, Sans! We gave her a puzzle she can't complete. I'm so sorry!" The taller skeleton rubbed his head as he blushed. "This is embarrassing. Sans, you should try a little harder at your puzzles."

"My bad," said the shorter skeleton.

"Just up ahead there another puzzle! Let's get going!" Papyrus darted off.

"Nice one there." Sans rubbed the back of his head. "Though I'll admit that I forgot about the marker. So, are you enjoying yourself?"

"Some of the people in the royal guard are silly."

"No denying that."

"When should I return Papyrus's stuff?" Frisk asked, taking hold of the scarf. "I get the feeling that this is important to him."

"Yeah, we made that outfit a couple of weeks ago for a party. He hadn't taken off since. Though he does wash in the shower."

"I guess that a good thing." Tilting her head, Frisk hummed. "How many more puzzles are there?"

"Not too many and they're not that difficult. Hey kid, I know this may sound odd, but have you ever been to Snowdin before?"

"What's that?"

"It's the town up ahead. I thought earlier there was a call to evacuate." Shaking his head, the skeleton knocked on his head. "But it's just me being silly. Just a heads up, there's another dog up ahead, but he's harmless for the most part."

With that said, San marched off. Following after him, Frisk blinked upon seeing she lost sight of him again. She came upon an area covered in snowballs where a doghouse sat off to the side. She walked to the end of the area to be stopped by a large snow mound. Just as she tried to climb over it a dog stuck it head out of the snow.

"Aw." Kneeling, Frisk grinned at the pup. "Who's a good dog?"

With its tongue hanging out the dog rose from the snow bank. Frisk yelped as the armored giant- a good nine feet tall- towered over her. With a giant spear in hand it swing it at Frisk. Leaping back, the girl blinked in confusion. Then a snow bunk behind her erupted. A smaller dog armed with a sword and shield charged her.

 _Why are they attacking us at the same time?!_

 _What?!_ Asked Frisk.

 _Dodge!_

Frisk dove into a snow bank. The sword stabbed below her, and she could feel the cold steel scrape against her stomach. As she tried to raise her body back up, the larger dog lunged forward. Its spear pointed downward. Rolling to her side, the child dirty herself some more in hope of her smell may help. Yet the dogs just kept stabbing at her.

Backed up against a sign the child glanced back. It told her to pet the dogs. She frowned at the sign. How can that be possible when they were trying to stab her?

Attacking them sounded pretty tempting right now.

 _But I don't want to hurt them_ , stated Frisk.

 _Why don't you tell them to heel?_

"Okay!" The girl threw her hand out. "Heel, boys!" Both dogs came a stop. Both of them seemed a little confused. "Roll over and I'll pet you." Both dogs yipped, fell to their sides, and rolled over. Giggling, Frisk clapped her hands. "Sit!" They did as told. "Do the tango!"

The bigger dog yanked the smaller dog off the ground. Spinning around, the bigger dog started to howl. Feet kicking the air the smaller dog tried to move a bit as well. Following after them, Frisk clapped her hands.

"Good boys. Now sit again."

The giant dog plopped his companion on the ground. Laying on its stomach, the large dog panted. Frisk petted the dog on the head. Her smile grew as the dog wagged it tail. The other dog scooted over as well. Frisk petted both dogs on the head. After several moments of petting the smaller dog head shot upward.

"Hey?!" Laughing, the child watched the dog neck stretched until it made a U-turn back to the earth. The larger dog panted for a bit before standing up. The greater dog hopped out of its armor, licked Frisk, and jumped head first back into the suit. It grabbed hold of its smaller company. With its tail sticking out the greater dog marched off.

"That went better than expected."

 _Just cross the stupid bridge already._

Frisk paused at the bridge. Standing on the other side of the large gap, the skeleton brothers turned toward her.

"Human!" Clapping his hands, Papyrus grabbed hold of a lever. "I'm glad that you're here! We will now proceed to the final test." The skeleton pulled on a lever and a flaming torch, a mace, and a dog dangled from ropes while a cannon, spear, and cross bow pointed at Frisk. "Once I pull…"

 _It's that dog!_

 _What?_ asked Frisk.

 _It's that stupid mutt that wreaks everything._

Frisk stared at the dog. It was just a white mutt with its tongue sticking out. What could it possible had done?

 _You don't understand, do you?_ The voice chuckled. _It's because of him that this world is messed up. I almost have the strength to take him on._

 _I think you need a pill._

 _What I need is to kill the dog!_

"Hey," shouted Papyrus. "Are you listening me?"

"Sorry!" Frisk bowed. "I was just thinking to myself. Also, how is this a puzzle?" Frisk pointed to the weapons. "They look like they would just attack me. Do I run away or toward you?

Papyrus opened his mouth, but paused. "Good grief! I'm better than this." Pulling on the lever, he withdrew his weapons. The voice howled as the dog disappeared. "Damn it all." The taller brother rushed off.

Crossing the bridge, Frisk walked up to Sans. "That was fun, though it felt shorter for some reason."

Sans shrugged. "Hey kid, when Papyrus attacks you… Can you let him capture you?"

"Why?"

"I just got a bad feeling. That's all."

With that said Sans went into town. From a distance Frisk could see the large sign that proclaimed the place to be Snowdin. Most of its buildings lined up in one row. A bunny took her smaller brother out on a walk on a leash. A bear kneeled before a tree.

Walking over to a store, Frisk paused upon spotting one of the saving points. She saved her progress. When she pulled away a screen appeared in front of her. It showed her the points where she had saved. Grinning, she entered the store. A purple rabbit showed her the stuff she got.

Frisk bought a biscuit. "This a nice town you got here."

"Sure is." The rabbit crossed her arms. "Thought I'll admit it can be a bit cold. Most people living around here have fur. Then you got those two skeletons."

"Are they causing trouble?"

"Nothing to worry about. They can just be rowdy at times. You look a bit tired. Would you like to sleep some? My sister owns the inn next door."

Rubbing her eyes, Frisk yawned. "I guess I'm a bit tired. Does it cost any money? I had been finding some along my way here, but I don't have much."

"That's a minor issue. My sis would probably just let you stay out of the goodness of her heart."

So Frisk went to the inn. Just as the storekeeper stated, the innkeeper allowed her a room to sleep. With a thank you Frisk climbed to the second floor. Laying down with her clothing on, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

. . .

"Mommy," said the goat boy, "The snow is so pretty."

"It is." Walking through the streets of Snowdin, Toriel lead the goat boy and a large goat man through town. The latter form was undefined as if he was handing out in a shadowy spot. "It is snowy all year round and the people seem to like it enough."

"But it's so cold," stated a second voice. Frisk could feel herself shiver. "Why would anyone want to live out here? It must be warmer back in the city."

"To start," said the large man, "It is pretty out here. It is also one of the first places where we could stop and settle. This area is also good for raising crops."

"How do you grow food in a place covered in snow?"

"By taking heat from the core and melting it."

Frisk shook her head. "That's odd." Kneeling down, she scooped up a snowball. "I know one way to have fun." Whirling around, the child spin around and slung a snowball at the goat boy.

"Hey!" Chuckling, goat boy kneeled down and threw back a snowball.

"Children," said Toriel. "We're here with a special meeting."

"Let them have their fun." The large man encouraged as he gave Toriel a pat on the shoulder. "What joy would it be to sit with an old man like me and listen to him talk all day. You two can play out here all you want. Just remember to go to that inn and we'll meet again there."

"Okay!"

For a while goat boy and Frisk threw snowballs at one another. Some of the other kids joined in at some point and it became a war. Both sides created a small fort as the snowballs fell. After a while the cold soaked into the child's skin.

"I'm getting tired." Wiping some snow off her green jacket, Frisk pointed to the inn. "I'm going inside."

"I'll be right with you." Darting after Frisk, the goat boy shook his head free of snow. "That was fun."

"Yeah." Entering the inn, Frisk told the bunny who they are and they were given the key. "What do you think Mom and Dad talking about?"

"My best guess is that they are talking about you."

"Oh…"

"You don't sound excited."

Leading them to the room, Frisk shook her head. "I'm not sure if I want to be. I mean they wanted me to go back to the surface. I came here to get away from humans."

"Chara, you know that nobody wants to stay down here."

"And they want me to be the hero." Frisk entered the room and hopped onto the bed. "I'm just one kid and they expect me to take down a barrier that some wizards put up long ago. How am I supposed to that?"

Patting Frisk on the head, the goat boy grinned. "You'll found a way. You're the hero that came to save us."

"Yeah." With a grin the girl stared up at the ceiling. "The hero to save us all."

. . .

Frisk woke up to the knocking on the door. Yawning, the child sat up. The innkeeper poked her head in. Having heard little from Frisk in the last five hours, she wanted to make sure that she was okay. A mild headache echoed through the child's head, but she felt just fine. With a thank you the child left the inn. Snow fell from the sky at a rapid pace. People retreated inside. Before the child got outside of town she saw Sans standing outside a two story house. One of the mailboxes overfilled while the other was firmly shut.

"Hey kid." Sans pointed to the west. "My brother has been waiting for you outside. I tried to persuade him that he needed to come inside, but he refused to come until you greet him."

"You're joking."

"Nope."

Chuckling, Frisk placed a hand over mouth. "He's a silly skeleton."

"No denying that. Mind coming in for a second? I got something for you."

Humming, the child followed San in. She took a seat on the couch in front of a television. Moments later San returned with a dark blue coat, a pair of gloves, and a scarf.

"I went and bought this for you."

"You did?"

"I had to. We don't keep any clothing for a short gal like you." San patted the child on the head. "Could you please return my brother's stuff when you can? He'd probably want them back as soon as possible."

"Okay!" Getting dressed in her warmer clothing, Frisk grinned. "Thank you."

"No problem kid. Just let me answer this one question. What are you going to do when you face my brother?"

"Not fight him."

"Good." Grabbing Frisk's shoulders, Sans leaned in real close. "Because if I find even a single mark on him…" A flame emitted from his right eye socket. Flashing blue and yellow, Sans's eye seemed to peer right through her soul. "Someone is going to have a bad day."

Blinking, the child leaned back. Tears built up in her eyes. "Yes sir."

"Good." San let go and flopped onto the couch. "You best get going. Knowing my brother he'll be buried in a snow drift by the time you get to him."

Nodding, Frisk walked with quivering legs. "Sans is scary."

 _He can be a threat when he want to be_ , grumbled the voice.

 _Did you have any experience with him?_

 _You could say that._

Finding the path that led out of town, Frisk tracked through a foot of snow. More of it fell by the moment. Her eyes narrowed to protect themselves from the wind. She tried to differ the land to the sky. Yet it all appeared the same. An object materialized right in front of her. She reached out and touched it.

"Hey!"

Frisk yelped as snow fell onto her head. Shaking himself, Papyrus glanced down. A wide grin crossed his face.

"I see that Sans had gotten you proper clothing."

Nodding, the girl handed the clothing back. "I'm sorry that you have to wait out here so long. I was tired and took a nap at the inn."

"That would explain way things took so long." Placing his stuff on, the skeleton shrugged. "That's alright. Sans loves to take naps. When he isn't napping, he's goofing off. Seriously, if it weren't for me he would be sitting on his bony butt all day."

Frisk chuckled.

"It wasn't that funny." Papyrus snapped at her.

"So, are we going to fight?" the girl asked, changing the subject.

"Of course!" Papyrus clapped his hands. "You might like spaghetti, puzzles, and other stuff like I do, but I have no choice but to fight you." The skeleton leapt back to stumble over a snow bank. "Though all this snow is going to make a fight difficult." Summoning bones in hand, Papyrus laughed. "No matter. Rain or shine I will capture you. I will prove to people that I can be part of the guard and I will have plenty of friends and people to adore me."

 _This skeleton is annoying_ , stated the voice. _Turn it into dust already._

 _That's mean! Don't you want to do anything else?_

 _I want chocolate. I won't be satisfied until I get chocolate._

 _I'll ask people around if there is any chocolate._

"Get ready!" Throwing his hands out, Papyrus summoned bones to his head. "Because here I come!" Frisk giggled until the first bone bounced off her head.

Ow!" Leaning back, the child stood upon one leg. "That hurt!" The glow of her chest alerted her to the battle at hand. More bones flew in Frisk's direction. Trudging through the snow, she did her best to dodge them. Yet the thick banks slowed her down. To move quickly she had to belly flop from place to place.

"Papyrus!" shouted Frisk. "Can you please stop that?"

"Nope!"

"But you seem like a nice person."

"Really?" Papyrus stopped for a moment to clap his hands to his cheeks. "Is that true?"

"Yeah, and you have a cool taste in clothing."

"Come now." The skeleton glanced away. "Are you trying to go on a date with me?"

 _A date?_

 _How old do you think this kid is_ , asked the voice.

 _Is a date a bad thing?_

 _Depends on who you're dating._

"Sure!" Frisk grinned. "I would be more than happy to go on a date."

"All I have to do is capture you." Papyrus grinned. "Then when we clear everything up with Undyne we can go on our date."

"Um… Papyrus. What do you think will happen to me once I'm in the hand of the royal guard?" Frisk gulped as bones making walls with gap flew at her. She leapt through the small narrow gap. Scrambling to her feet, she again done the same jump.

"First you'll get to meet the King. He's a big softie who would probably be able to help you. In fact, he probably just wants the guard to bring you to him to make sure you're safe."

 _This guy is an idiot_ , stated the voice.

 _I think 'misinformed' may be a better word_.

"Now, here comes my blue attack." Papyrus told her, as Frisk held still as a wave of blue bones went right through her. When they passed through she tried to move, but her heart went from red to blue. She yelped as a heavy weight fell onto her chest. Slamming into the snow, she tried to get up. Her heart now felt as if it was being weighed down by an elephant.

Marching on over, the skeleton laughed. "Now your heart is blue. Are you having a hard time moving around?"

"Yeah. Can you please make my heart red again?"

"Sorry, but I got orders to take you in." The skeleton tried to pick up Frisk, but he groaned under the effort. "Geeze, you are heavy! Maybe I should do that think San taught me." Stepping back, he held hand forward. It glowed as the girl was lifted off the ground. "I knew I could do this!" He crossed his arms. "With a-"

"Aw!" Frisk flew headfirst into a tree. "Ow…"

"Sorry!" Bringing Frisk over to him, the skeleton offered a small smile. "That was my bad."

 _How is he doing this?_ Stated the voice. _He wasn't able to do that before._

 _Can you please tell me how you know this?_ Frisk tried to focus on the voice, but being smashed in the tree left her a bit disjointed. Papyrus started to rumble something about meeting his boss. For a brief moment she had the mental image of a black knight. At least he now floated her in front of him with a steady hand.

Returning to town, Papyrus threw open the door to his shed. "Here we are." The skeleton than floated the girl over to a set of bars which he walked right through. "Now, I'm going to have you stay right here." Setting Frisk down, the skeleton clapped his hands. "I will need to get Undyne. Please wait right here." and with that said, the skeleton left.

Frisk peeled off the ground and walked right through the bars. She went over to the door to open it. She frowned upon finding it locked.

 _This isn't good_ , stated the voice.

 _What are you talking about?_ asked Frisk.

 _The game evolving._

 _Please make sense._

 _Frisk, this isn't your first time through this. It's your fourth._

 _My fourth._

 _Yeah, and the world around you changed each time. This time around it looks like the world had learned its lesson. It's not just going to let you go about freely._

 _But how is that possible? I have memories from my last save. Why don't I have memories from the other times?_

 _I'm uncertain. What I do know that this is going to be a whole lot harder than I thought. Oh, and best get out of here before Undyne arrives._

Testing the door, Frisk frowned. _Why?_

 _Because she is one of the few monsters around who be glad to kill you off._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

For the first time Frisk found an obstacle she had little idea how to get through. The door refused to budge. At first she rammed her shoulder into it and bounced off each time. Next she thought of being one of those smooth thieves who picklock the door, but then she realized she had nothing on hand to do so.

Searching the room, Frisk found that only two windows might serve as an exit. The cracked glass peered out into a forest. She tried to found a way of opening them, but saw they were just single glass panels. She thought of breaking them, but then slapped her forehead. How much of an idiot could she be?

Frisk opened the save panel and loaded the last save point. Once she landed in place the feeling of fatigue overcame her. She grumbled about damn conditions and went to bed. This time around the dreams refused to disturb her, so she slept well. Again, Sans met her outside with the snowstorm.

Yet as she walked out San stared right through her. "Tell me, Frisk. Did you do as I asked?"

"Of course I did." Frisk offered an uneasy smile. "Why you ask?"

"It's just that I got this weird feeling that I have done this already."

"Um…" Frisk bowed her head. "You can say that."

"Why am I doing this again?"

"Because I was captured and couldn't get out of the shed."

"Oh." Grinning, the skeleton nodded. "If that's all then it's alright. Papyrus is still where he should be." With that said he led Frisk to the house to give her the warm clothing. Once done he sent her off again.

 _Word of advice for you_ , said the voice, _try to avoid pissing that guy off. He's… scary when he is angry._

 _Noted._

Frisk once again met Papyrus out in the snowstorm. He launched into his speech after she handed his stuff over. Yet as he spoke the girl marched right up to him. Her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "Papyrus, why do you want friends so badly?"

Blinking, the skeleton tilted his head. "Because I need them?"

"Don't you already have friends?"

"Well… I guess my brother would count. So would Undyne. We hang out a lot."

"So why are you trying to capture me?"

"Because I deserve more friends?"

"Why?"

The skeleton hummed. "Because I'm a good guy."

 _Tell him he's an idiot._

 _No._

"You're an idiot." Frisk suddenly declared, then almost instantly clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Thanks!" Papyrus straighten himself out. "I always knew that I was smart."

 _How did you do that?_

 _With way too much effort._ The voice panted. _And he just thought you called yourself an idiot._

 _He is dense._ With a shrug Frisk smiled. _He is a good guy, but he does need to act more like a grown up._

"Any how!" Coughing into his hand, Papyrus summoned bones around him. "Let get started."

With a sigh Frisk maneuvered through the bones. This time around proved easier than the last. Then again, the skeleton did the same as previously. He must be thinking that he was doing a good plan and the kid just happened to be good at dodging. When the blue attack came Frisk braced herself.

This time she managed to stay steady. When she moved her feet she felt as if someone had placed weights on her shoulder. She jumped over an attack and went over the tree line. The wind grabbed hold of her and blew her toward the river.

"Oh no!"

 _Land on the ice cubes!_

Frisk angled herself to plop down on one of the cubes. Her feet threatened to slip from under her. Rushing over to the shore, the skeleton grabbed his head.

"Careful!" shouted the skeleton. "Falling in the river is dangerous."

"I know that!"

Holding out his hands, Papyrus grinned. "Come jump this way. I will catch you!" Nodding, Frisk leapt. She laughed as she went so high in the air. Everything below her shrink to the size of ants. "Not that high!" The skeleton scrambled around in the snow banks. He tripped over himself just to get in position. "Wait a moment!" Pushing out of the snow, the skeleton summoned a bone as tall as the trees. "Land on this!"

Frisk did as asked. Plopping onto her butt, she stared down at the skeleton. She grinned upon seeing the relief sigh. Leaning on the bone, the skeleton shook head.

"You know what?"

"What?" asked Frisk.

"Running through the snow when it's storming out is hard."

"I know that."

"Do you want to take a break back at my house?"

"Sure." Hoping off of the bone, Frisk landed beside Papyrus. "What do you want to do?"

"Video games would be nice."

"Maybe?"

"Or we can pretend that we're driving cars."

"I have been in a lot of cars."

"Really?"

Frisk nodded. "Big ones, small ones, and ones that go fast."

"I envy you!" Holding his arms up, Papyrus picked the child. "The only time I got to get into a car was when I went to New Home."

"The capital?"

"Yeah! Most of the underground is too small for roads." Placing Frisk on top of his shoulder, the skeleton started home. "Yet there's a lot of room in New Home. It stretched on for miles. To make things easy on everyone they had built cars and subways to get around. I've only been in a car once, but I've the thought of going in a really cool one."

"Why were you in New Home?"

"I'm not sure. My big brother, Sans-"

"He's the oldest?"

"I know! Still, I was young and we went there to meet someone." Papyrus frowned. "Though I can't remember who it was. I think he was a skeleton, but…" He shrugged. "No big deal. Let get back to the house."

As they went to the house a small white dog appeared from the trees. It stared at the duo in confusion. A bone clenched in its mouth.

"Hey!" shouted Papyrus. "That dog has one of my bones!"

"Yep."

"Does he know how hard it is to summon those? I spent a large amount of magic to create them in the air and then threw them at people."

"It takes magic to throw them?"

"Well… no. But it can still get tiring after a while."

Coming to the house, Frisk ducked as they enter it. "We're home."

San looked up from his sit. "Hey. You guys are doing okay?"

"We decided to take a break."

"Were you freezing to the bones?"

"No." The taller skeleton set Frisk on the ground. "All the snow made it impossible to move about. So, do you guys want anything to eat?"

"What do you have to eat?" asked Frisk

"Spaghetti and meatballs."

"Anything else?"

"Nope."

Sighing, the child bowed her head. "Just get me that then."

"On it." Papyrus rushed into the kitchen and something crashed. "It's alright! Someone left a bone on the floor. Was that you Sans?"

"Sorry." The wider skeleton yawned. "I was playing with a dog earlier and it must have left it there."

"Can you throw it away?"

"In a bit?"

Frisk glanced at a sock laying on the floor. She read through the notes and chuckled. She doubted that the bone would be moving for a while. Sitting down beside Sans, the girl watched a show about wildlife in the area.

"There's a lot of creatures down here..." noted Frisk.

"Sure is."

"Do any of them devour each other?"

"I would be surprised that none of them eat meat."

Walking over to a table, Frisk picked up a book that appeared to be a comic. Finding a physic book within it, she opened it. After going through it several comics and books Frisk placed it down.

"Hey, Sans." Frisk walked over with the book. "Do you like to study physics?"

"Sure do." Sans took the book and opened it. Blinking, Frisk stared at a page about parallel university. "Since I was a kid my dad would tell me about the wonders of physics. We can freeze an atom until it was frozen in time. We can freeze a superconductor and then make it float. Gravity can be stopped under the right conditions. One can also use beams to control time itself."

"Really?"

"Yep." The skeleton sighed. "It's easier said than done."

Frisk scanned through the pages until the smell of smoke drifted into her nose. "Is something burning?"

"Most likely Papyrus' cooking." Setting the book down, the skeleton stood. "We better make sure he doesn't burn the house down." The two entered the kitchen to find a pot on fire. "Yep, it's burning."

"How did you start a fire?" asked Frisk. "You're supposed to make spaghetti with water."

"Really?" The taller skeleton, standing over the stove with a pan of water, stared at the flames.

"That would explain why it always burns." Setting the pot in the sink, Sans put out the fire with water. "You ever cook before, kid?"

"My foster parents had me help them from time to time. If I'm going to live in the world then I have to know how to cook." Going through the cabinets, Frisk search for some pots. "Where do you keep your stuff? I want my spaghetti."

"Yes ma'am." Papyrus got the stuff needed to cook. Standing to the side, Sans supervised, while Frisk helped to make the pasta. The meatball proved easy enough. Pouring them out of a bag, she followed the instructions as she panfryed them. Twenty minutes later they had a meal.

Clapping his hands, the taller skeleton served the spaghetti on plates. Then all three of them went to the couch and sat down. The brothers fought for a bit on what to watch. Sans wanted to watch shows of science and documentaries. Papyrus wanted to watch his favorite cartoon.

After a bit of debate the two settled on a deal; Papyrus can watch one of his shows, but once that was over Frisk got to pick the next one. She enjoyed the adventure of the brave turtle hero who went around and saved people. Yet when it came time to choose, Frisk asked if they could watch a show on science and Sans did as requested. It took an entire hour to finish the simple meal.

Opening the curtains, Papyrus started outside. "Damn it. Why won't it stop snowing?"

"It is still coming down," stated Sans.

Frisk glanced outside to see only a sheet of snow. "Does that mean we'll be stick here for a while?"

"Looks like it." The taller skeleton nodded his head. "You need a place to sleep, but we only have two rooms in the house. I, the great Papyrus, hate to offer our good guest little more than the couch. Yet it all we have."

"Hey." Sans patted the child's head. "You taught us how to cook something. You deserve some rest."

Nodding, the child snuggled into Sans. "I haven't done anything bad, have I?"

"What are you talking about?" The taller skeleton shook his head. "I haven't heard a single complaint about you!"

Sans remained silent. His smile seemed to become more thoughtful. Frisk felt a portion of her heart break. It was obvious that Sans knew something, and she wondered how much. Was there something so bad she had done in the past that he was willing to harm her because of it?

"Kid…" San gestured for the child to lean forward. She did as asked and a finger flicked her on the head. "How thickskulled are you? If you aren't aware of anything then I'm certain nothing bad had happened." Standing, the lazy skeleton stretched his arms. "I'm heading to bed, Papyrus."

"But I want to play with the human," stated the younger brother.

"You still need to deal with Undyne."

"Oh… yeah." The taller skeleton rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I should have time to deal with it. There is a snowstorm outside. Frisk, you stay there and I'll get you a blanket and pillow."

Once he retrieved the items Frisk laid down. The couch could have been better, but it was soft enough to be comfortable. Her head hit the pillow and she fell away into the land of dreams.

. . .

 _I learned of my abilities by pure accident. The day wasn't that bad now I look back at it. Daddy was in a good mood so I had a nice breakfast. Getting on the bus, people left me alone. Maybe they grew tired of picking on me that day or they had other things bugging them. Whatever the case I spent my school time in sweet solitude._

 _It happened in the middle of the day. We were learning math. I tried to pay attention, but it was easier to fall away in my fantasies. As I doodled different plants I would like to grow on a piece of paper the door opened. An older kid from another class walked in. The teacher turned toward him and something went pop. A moment later the teacher fell to the ground._

 _Frozen to the spot, I watched as the gunman killed more people. The first two kids went down in shock. Once the surprise wore off, the class scattered. But I was frozen to the spot. Unable to move as the same words went through my head. I didn't want to die. Then something hit me several times and I disappeared._

 _Then I woke up from my bed screaming. Daddy rushed into my room half certain I was being attacked. I even hurt him a bit when he tried to calm me down. Yet as I woke up I saw I was okay. It was nothing more than a terrible dream. I told Daddy about it and he told me it was alright. Everything was going to be okay. A dream couldn't hurt me._

 _Yet as I went through the day, things got strange. I swore that Daddy cooked the same things as in the dream. The day appeared to be the same as well. I watched a little television before school. There was nothing special to mention, but as I watched my favorite show, I felt as if I saw it before._

 _Riding the bus, I begged for someone to come and bully me. The way my dreams mimic reality scared me. Then I had my math class and I knew I had to get out of there. I made an excuse to use the bathroom and fled. Just as I got to it the gunman shot down several people. He turned toward me and I died a second time in my life._

 _Waking up in my bed again I knew that I must avoid the school. So I pretended to be sick. Easy to do when you know that the other option was getting killed. So my daddy took care of me that day. Sometime that afternoon as he watched the news, a story came on about a school shooting._

 _It was my school. I stared in awe as a killer took out a dozen teachers and twice that many kids. He killed himself in the end. Looking down at myself, I was confused. How can I still be alive? How is it that I'm not dead? It would be a couple of years before I learned of determination._

 _Yet at that time I knew I was special. That god, fate, or whatever had chosen me for special things. To show this they killed all the bad people that did me harm. In the first time in my life I understood that even the gods have their favorites… and they had people that they hated too._

. . .

Frisk woke to the sound of panting. Sitting up, she found a small white dog on her chest. Patting it, she tilted her head in confusion. She was sure she had seen this dog before.

"Come on Sans!" shouted a voice. "It time to wake up."

Grabbing the small dog, Frisk carried it with her up to the second floor. She found the skeletons in the second room. Socks littered the floor. A plate of spaghetti sat on the floor with piles of paper. A treadmill stood in the center of the room. Sans slept on a bare mattress under a couple of sheets. His brother kept tugging on the blankets.

"Come on Sans! There's a ton of snow outside."

"How much?" asked the brother.

"Lots!"

"Then we better hope that the sun is doing its work today."

"Sans! We don't have time to be lazy! It never gets hot enough around here for all the snow to melt away. If we were to wait we could be stick in here for days."

"No. This bed is comfortable and I want to stay."

"Sans!" Papyrus tugged on the all he wanted, but his brother held his ground. "Come on! How are you ever going to do anything with that attitude?"

"Maybe this will help." Frisk walked over and placed the dog on Sans. It started licking his head. Turning around, the wider skeleton stared at the dog. "I found him on my chest. Is he's yours?"

"No." Sitting up, Sans held the dog up. "Where did you come from? Don't you know it rude to barge into other people's houses?" The dog barked. "Well, we can't have you using the bathroom in the house." He set the dog down on the floor. "Okay, I'll dig up one half of the house and you can dig up the other half."

"What about me?" asked Frisk. "Can I help?"

"Sure!" exclaimed Papyrus. "We only have a couple shovels, but we should be able to ask around town for one more."

Getting out the door proved rather difficult. A large snow bank had grown in front of it. With the combined effort of the three, they were eventually able to shove the door open. Papyrus went to get an extra shovel as Sans got two from the shed.

"Here we go." Handing a shovel over to Frisk, Sans nodded his head. "Go over there and start digging. I'll start here."

With a nod Frisk went to the end of the house and started to dig. As she threw the snow into a tree, a small monster that looked like a mini dinosaur rushed up to her. He was wearing a striped shirt just like her.

"Hey there!" said the other child.

"Hello," said Frisk. "Need something?"

"I just rushed over because I heard that Undyne is coming into town!"

Frisk paused. "Really?"

"I heard that she was coming, though nobody knows when. She's hunting down humans at the moment."

"Oh?" Frisk forced herself to breath normally.

"Yeah!" The monster kid looked at the skies. "You're new around here. What's your name?"

"Frisk."

"Nice to meet you Frisk. I would like to chat some more, but I need to go find Undyne."

 _Please disappear in the process_ , thought the voice.

 _That isn't nice!_ stated Frisk.

 _I'm tired and that kid is loud. Now be quiet and keep on digging._

With a shake of her head the child kept shoveling. She thought upon this Undyne. Her name sounded rather familiar. Yet all she could think of was a big, scary person who wanted to do her harm. With a shake of her head she kept shoveling. Once Papyrus joined in they shoveled all the snow away.

To celebrate a job well done they went to the local diner, Grillby's. Frisk ordered a hamburger while Papyrus got a chili hotdog. The waiter, being a humanoid flame, brought out Sans's fries that were smothered in ketchup and they talked for a while. It was pointless with nothing real special about it.

"Hey guys!" exclaimed the taller skeleton. "Can a flower survive around here?"

"A flower can't live in the snow." Frisk munched on her burger. "It's too cold out."

"I know, but…" Leaning over, the skeleton offered a grin. "Last time it talked to me I got a picture of it."

Frisk tensed up. "Where?"

"In my room. Care to see it?"

"Maybe later." Sans drank a bit of ketchup. "After this I need to check on something."

"Okay!"

Meals finished, Frisk followed Papyrus to his room. Compared to his brother it was cleaner. A large purple carpet edged with flames covered two-thirds of the room. A race car bed was pressed against a wall, while a bookshelf, pirate flag, and computer desk shared another wall. The skeleton walked over to a table filled with action figures.

Picking something up, he turned to face Frisk. "Here it is." A golden flower seemed too have turned away. Yet one of its eyes had glanced back. "Getting this was hard. The flower would come and go as it pleased. I kept my camera on me and caught it by luck. Cool isn't it?"

"Do you know what that flower is?"

"I don't have a clue, but it came around a lot and talk to me." Humming, the skeleton frowned. "Though as of late it kept asking me about this Chara person. Have you heard of her? He kept saying that he needed to meet her one more time."

The voice huffed in Frisk's head. Ignoring it, Frisk picked the paper up. Flowery knew more than what he was letting on. If she could make him talk it would make her life easier. Yet as she pondered on this a knock come from the door.

"I wonder who that could be. Stay there a moment." Papyrus left the room. Frisk got bored of the picture and grabbed one of the action figures. They battled with one another until the skeleton rushed into the room. "Hide in my closet!" Throwing the door open, he threw Frisk there. "Stay there until she is gone."

With a huff Frisk landed upon the pile of clothing. Just as she sat up the door closed and the skeleton rushed off. The child frowned. She stood and pressed her ear against the door. If she listened long enough, maybe she would hear something.

Frisk did and it sounded like iron stomping upon wood. Papyrus's voice echoed through the house. It became hard to hear until the door slammed open. Something told her to sit down and away from the door.

"Come now!" said the skeleton. "I keep telling you! The human ran away when I wasn't looking. I tried to stop her, but she was too fast. She may have come to my house for a bit, but that was only to stay out of the storm. You know how cold it gets here! It can get rather cold at nighttime. If we want her alive I had to give her shelter."

Silence answered Papyrus's rant, and the steps stopped. Frisk listened to the air for a while. Uncertain if she should be running or holding her ground she froze to the spot. The child bit her lip at the sound of wood banging against wood.

Frisk yelped as a spear thrust through the door. It nipped her hair as she slid out of the way. The blue spear stabbed into the wall behind her. Cold sweat broke out her body. The spear flew back and tore the door off its hinges.

"C-c-c-c-crap," muttered Frisk.

Towering over her, a knight in black armor stared the child down. Behind the dark helmet she could see one eye gleaming with blood lust. The only way to satisfy it would mean only one thing.

"There you are, brat," growled the knight. "You are going to pay for what you have done!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Undyne!" Papyrus fearfully shouted. "Please settle down. The human is nice! She hasn't done anything to earn your wrath."

"You know nothing, Papyrus." The knight drew her spear at Frisk.

Time seemed to slow down. Frisk stared at the spear in panic. She knew that death can't affect her, but she had made so much progress. To start over would be a drain on her.

 _Throw up your hand!_ shouted the voice.

 _What?_

 _Just do it!_

Frisk did as she was told and a shield in the shape of a heart sprung in front of her. The spear slammed into it, shoving the shield and Frisk back. Punching through the wall, the child fell a story before slamming into the snow. The snow bank cushioned her fall, but she felt something crack.

 _What was that?_ Stumbling to her feet, Frisk glanced to her heart. She blinked upon seeing that it had turned a bright green.

 _It's a heart mode. I just realized how to work it out. It looks like when you meet certain characters we can use them._

 _That's great._ Frisk tried to move, but her feet were glued in place. _Why aren't my legs moving?_

 _Oh yeah. In this mode you can heal and defend yourself, but you're unable to move._

 _That isn't helpful right now!_

"You think you can run away?!" Undyne screeched. With Papyrus hanging off of her, she leapt out of the room. "I won't let you harm anyone else!"

 _Throw up another shield._

Frisk did as quickly as the black knight slammed into it again. She tried to force her way through, but could only create sparks. Blue light glowed under the child. Glancing down, she gulped.

 _Switching to red mode!_

Frisk felt her legs become free and ran away. At the same time the shield broke and the black knight and skeleton fell into a pile of spears. Cringing at the yelps, the child glanced back.

 _Did you do that on purpose?!_ asked Frisk.

 _That was more of a lucky accident._

"You little brat!"

 _I recommend that you run._

 _I'm running!_ Frisk tore down the road to out of town. Yet as she ran spears sprung up around her. The snow drifts concealed their glow well. One spear pierced her through the feet. Gritting her teeth, she kept running. She ran and ran as the spear stabbed her and pierced at her soul.

At some point the snow disappeared. A ceiling of rock appeared over Frisk's head. The sound of water flowed from distance. Crystals growing on the walls and ceilings provided a good light. She just entered the cave when Sans stepped out from behind a counter and waved her over. The child dove behind the stand. Its inner had been hallowed out for a child about her size to squeeze in.

Once Frisk tucked into the stall the skeleton covered the hole with a board. Frisk held her silence. Only the sound of a metal boots crunching rock could be heard in the darkness. Sans hummed to himself; the tone was cheerful, yet at the same time eerie. If she could give a description of it, Frisk would have pictured a rabbit hopping down a fox hole.

"Sans," growled the knight. "Where is the child?"

"Who?"

"The human who will destroy everything unless I catch her."

"She went up ahead. If you hurry now you might be able to save everyone."

The metal boots run off. Frisk held her breath until she was certain that Undyne had left. The board pulled away and Sans looked in.

"You're safe for now." Sans gestured for her to come out. "Just be careful. I won't be able to keep her off you forever."

"Thanks." Pulling out of the counter, Frisk stretched her arms. "That was a cramp fit." She glanced around. A man stood nearby a flower, yet he seemed more focused on an object in front of him. Frisk gestured for San to get close. "Please tell me if something is wrong."

"You noticed?" The skeleton offered a smirk.

"I'm confused. It's like I know things, yet at the same time it's all new."

"That would be called déjà vu, though something tells me there is more to it than just that."

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but I have to ability to control time."  
"Oh?"

Frisk shrugged. "I don't quite understand it, but I can save my existence. If I die or want to go back in time I just have to load."

"Just like in a video game."

"Yep."

Sans rubbed his chin. "That's interesting and yes, Frisk. I have an impression about you." Frisk frowned. "I wouldn't call it a memory. More like déjà vu, but with two different cases. In one sense, I feel as if you're going to destroy the world."

"Why would I do that?"

Sans shrugged. "You killed my brother. At least, by the sound of it, you killed my brother in a different time line." Shaking his head, the skeleton frowned. "But I also get the sense that you didn't kill him, that you're a good kid." He turned away. "At the moment it would seem that the latter is true."

"But why would I want to kill anyone?" Frisk shook her head. "It doesn't make sense. I'll admit that you guys are a little scary when we first met, but even then I'd rather run away."

"That's a good question kid." Sans rubbed the back of his head. "Unless you're a complete psychopath it would be hard to see you do that."

 _I'm not a psychopath_ , growled the voice. _I did what I must._

 _Can you please explain to me who you are?_ asked Frisk. Silence answered her.

"Kid, I'll keep an eye on you." Rubbing Frisk's head, the skeleton grinned. "As long you behave yourself I'll be there to help. Okay?"

"Yep."

"Good." Laying down on the counter, the skeleton yawned. "Now if you will excuse me I need to take a nap."

With a nod of the head Frisk explored the area. She appeared to be in rather narrow section of the cave. Flowers that echoed people voice talked to her as she past. Going up to one flower, Frisk tried to make it talk. When it refused she grinned.

"I hope that everyone I met is doing okay."

"I hope that everyone I met is doing okay," repeated the flower.

Speaking of people, the child took out her phone. Just before she was forced to flee the skeletons' house she got the younger one's cellphone number. She tested it out.

"Hello!" exclaimed the voice. "This is the great Papyrus."

"It's me, Frisk."

"Thank goodness!"

Frisk pulled away from the phone due to volume.

"How are you? Did Undyne do any damage?" Papyrus asked excitedly.

"I'm a little shaken, but I should live."

"Sorry about her manners. She a good person, but when she's angry she doesn't think straight."

"That's alright." Frisk chuckled. "She kind of cool if you can overlook the angry part."

"But not as cool as me."

Rolling her eyes, Frisk covered her mouth. "No, you're way cooler to her."

"Thanks. If you need any help all you have to do is call."

With a goodbye Frisk decided to call Toriel. She missed the motherly goat, but when she called all she got was a faint hum. With a shrug she put the phone away. Toriel was probably out at the moment. Marching through the swamps, she grinned at the monsters she passed. One of them asked to clean her while the other wanted to do a flexing contest. She complied and both left.

Going down a road made from leaves, Frisk found herself outside of a temmie village. The dogs with cat ears bounced around as she passed. Going into a shop, she said hello to the shopkeeper and looked at his stuff. She found little of interest and left.

Yet as Frisk headed for the way out, one of the temmie hoped in front of her. "Hello!"

"Hey."

"What ya r doing?"

"Pardon.

"Im ccrious of yor next mou."

"I'm just trying to get to the castle. Can you please get out of my way?"

Frisk tried to step around, but another temmie appeared. "Don't you remember your sins?" The child's eyes grew wide. "Remember your sins. Remember them."

Frisk tilted her head. "Um… I want to go home now."

"You can't!" The temmie bounced. "You can't."

 _Stupid dogs._ The voice grumbled before faking a gunshot sound. _If only they would just die from eating sugar._

"Frisk," said the temmie, "if you win the wrong you'll lose it all." With that said the dogs moved out of the way.

Frisk stared at the dog and shrugged. She had little choice in the matter but to keep on going. Somehow it started to rain. She found a basket with umbrellas and took one of them. She walked backed to a statue being dripped on. Giving it the umbrella, she sat down and listened to the music that came from it for a while

Grabbing a second umbrella, Frisk hummed a song as she walked. The rain pounded the land. She paused upon spotting the reptile kid from Snowdin hiding in a roofed area.

Offering her a wide grin, the kid rushed under the umbrella. "Hey! I have been trapped under there for a while now."

"What were you doing?"

"I was following Undyne." Clapping his hands, the monster kid laughed. "I heard that she was hunting bad guys and I want to help her."

Shaking her head, Frisk marched on. "I'm trying to get to New Home."

"Why?"

Frisk started to talk, but paused. This kid seemed to have a bad opinion on humans. Telling the truth may do more harm than good. A half-truth should work.

"I was visiting a friend of mine near the ruins. I'm now heading home."

"That's a long ways away."

"It is."

"It is an easy walk home for me." Chuckling, the monster child stared up at the ceiling. "I should be in school at the moment."

"You're skipping school to go see Undyne?"

"Yep." The monster child offered large grin. "It's a smart choice, no?"

"I think you're going to get in trouble."

"I should be fine." Humming, the monster looked up at the skies. "Hey, we're in a more cleared out area." They walked out in the opening and Frisk found that the cavern had open up. Crystals in the ceiling gleamed like stars. A grand castle stood in the distance, with the blue stones appearing strong and powerful. Frisk stared at it as an odd feeling came over her, giving her a desperate need to get away.

Shaking her head, the child placed a hand on her heart. "Remember my sins?" Frisk slowly said to herself.

"What is that?" the monster kid inquired with a curious tilt of their head.

"Is it possible to do something bad and then forget all about it?"

"Sure." The monster kid agreed. "If you hated doing it and wanted to forget about it I'm certain you can force yourself to so. Did you do anything terrible?"

"I don't think so."

Reentering the narrow caves, they found that the rain had stopped. Frisk placed the umbrella into another bin. They came upon a ledge.

"Let me help you up," said the monster kid.

With a nod of agreement Frisk climbed on top of the monster child shoulder. With a little effort she pulled herself onto the flat land. She kneeled down and tried to help the child up. Yet the child was just out of her reach.

"I know another way around." With that said the monster child darted off.

Frisk went ahead and found Sans working with a telescope. "Hey kid."

"What are you looking at?"

"Not much. Want some ice cream? There's some in the cave over there."

With a shrug the child went into the room. She found a rabbit man selling nice cream. She bought one and ate it as she headed through the next area. Coming upon a board walk, she got a fair distance down it. Then she heard a loud splash.

Glancing over her shoulder, Frisk yelped and ducked under a flying spear. "Undyne!"

"Hey, brat." The knight marched down the dock. Her spear readied in hand. "I'm getting tired of this chase. Why don't you hold still for a bit?"

"Sorry, but I like to live." Darting down the dock, Frisk avoided multiple strikes. She got onto a small wooden board and it floated to the other shore. It did not stop the multiple spears flying in her direction though.

 _Help!_ stated Frisk.

 _Green mode, on!_

Holding out her hand, Frisk grinned as the shield formed in front of her. Spears pounded away, but her determination held up.

 _Below us!_

Frisk point her hand down and the spears jabbed into the barrier. Just as they faded more spears came from her right. She managed to get the shield in front of her and block the blows. Once the boat landed she run onto the pier.

The knight remained determined to capture her. Somehow appearing on the decks below hers, Undyne fired round after round of spears at Frisk. Each shot came close to piercing the child. Frisk run about in a panic. Her uncertainty lead her deeper and deeper into the dark area.

The spears stared to pick up speed. One of them cut through her back. If it had been solid steel she would had died on the spot. Tears tried to leak from the child's eyes. What had she done to deserve this? The knight seemed to know her past sins.

Remember your sins. The words echoed in the child's head. She tried to think upon what could had gotten the knight so angry. The only thing she could think of was when Sans talked to her earlier. He had the feeling that she destroyed the world. Yet the idea of a ten year old doing such a thing seemed insane to her.

Frisk skidded to a stop in front of a gap. Looking down, she saw little more than darkness. She turned around and stopped when the dark knight approached. Her spear aimed right at the child.

"Do everyone a favor now and die," stated the knight.

"Why?"

"Because I had been sent to stop your madness."

"What does that even mean?"

"Don't play dumb. You got everyone else fooled, but I know the truth. I will strike you down where you stand."

 _Looks like we'll have to stand and fight_ , the voice stated.

 _I'd rather jump._

 _Pardon?_

Turning around, Frisk dashed for the edge and jumped. Several spears lunged after her. One managed to stab her in the arm. The knight roared in anger as Frisk dropped to the ground. The impact therein shortly knocked her out.

. . .

 _I started to experiment with my new powers in my backyard. Having little want to die, I first tried to test how to use my saves and loads. The saves proved easier to do. All I have to do is find stuff that make me feel good inside. Parks, the neighbor dog, a good dinner, music, the ice cream parlor and much more seemed to work. The loads were harder to figure out. Obviously, dying sent you back in time, but with enough focus -determination as I learned later on- I could summon a load. At first I could only use the load to go to a previous save. Then after some weeks of screwing around I managed to find a way to get to multiple saves._

 _I abused the hell out of the ability. If I lost a game I loaded to an earlier save and replayed it. When a person got a juicy piece of information, I become the first person to learn of it. I could kill a dog, go back in time, and it would run up to me to lick my face. Granted, the last one was by pure accident. I was throwing out some food that had some bleach spilled on it, being an idiot I saw a dog and feed it dinner. I had brought it back to life (in a sense), but it was at that moment I realized I had power over life and death._

 _Of course, my biggest concern at the time was making my daddy happy and getting people to like me. Whenever Daddy was about to have one of his spells I prepared everything the day before. I would warn his work that he would be missing, and his meal was cooked for the day._

 _With him ready for the next day I wormed my way into my new social life. If I goofed up during a talk I could replay it. Hurting a friend meant little when you can just swipe it away. I knew everyone's good points and weakness. How to make them the happiest person in the world, then the next moment tear them apart._

 _For the most part I enjoyed having the people as my friends. I still went to the same school as before. The bullies had been killed or transported. Most of the people in my class transferred to another one. In the new class I managed to gather a following of people around me. For a while I fooled myself into thinking that they were my friends._

 _Then I started to notice that people only came to me when they had a problem. If they failed on a test I would give them good grades. Teachers saw my good grades and sent me to classes I had a hard time understanding. Even with my restart I did poorly in those honors classes and was sent back to the lower ones. The teachers spoke praises of me before, but when I returned they ignored me completely. Other people started to ignore me when I couldn't fix their problems._

 _No matter how hard I saved and reloaded I couldn't please everyone. I started to understand that everyone expects something out of you. If you fail to succeed in their expectations, they snubbed you. I worked hard to put up a good image of myself and bring people around me. Yet the more people I brought to me the more isolated I felt. The only person who seemed to understand me was my daddy._

 _Frustration built up as my situation never seemed to change. If this was how it was like with friends I would rather be alone. The only thing keeping me form restarting it all was my daddy. I couldn't bear seeing him go through his depression spells again. So I lived with being alone, surrounded by friends. I started to hate them all._

. . .

Blinking the pain away, the child tried to focus on the dreams. They felt so familiar, yet at the same time so far away. Why can't she get a firm grip on them? She looked down and yelped. Somehow a second grove of flowers had cushioned her fall. Sitting away from the rest of the flowers, Flowery studied Frisk for a bit.

The child scrambled away and fell into water. Standing, she found herself in a river. Piles of garbage formed small hills. Grimacing, the child looked to the flower who appeared to be thoughtful. As if uncertain on whether he had found a tamed animal or a beast.

"Do you need anything?" asked Frisk.

"You're doing everything right, but it feels wrong."

"A lot of people keep telling me that."

"You're stubborn." The flower muttered as he shook his head. "You have every right to defend yourself, yet you decide to run."

"I don't want to fight." Frisk retorted as she sat on the island of flowers. "Why won't anyone see that?"

"It's an odd way to get the plan done."

Sighing in frustration, the child stared off into the distance. "Here's a decent question. Why are you so desperate to get this plan done? What's so special about Chara?"

"Why the hell should I tell you?"

Frisk frowned. "Better yet, why do you even want to work with her? You demonstrate time again that you don't care for anyone else. Why help that one person? You don't seem to gain much of anything."

Flowery started to answer, but paused. "Because she is important. You should know that."

Now it was the child's turn to be stunned. That single statement for some reason felt to be correct. She felt as if she should know more.

 _Hey voice_ , thought Frisk.

 _What?_

 _Do you have any idea what going on?_

The voice fell into silence.

 _Come on! Can you at least give me a hint?_

"If you need help with the black knight I can be of use." The flowery then casually told Frisk as he flexed a leaf. "I dealt with that idiot more than once. I know of a quick way of dispatching her."

"I don't need your help." Standing, Frisk hopped into the water. "If you want to watch me then you're more than happy to." The child marched away from the puzzled flower. She paused for a brief moment to save. She found it difficult to find anything inspiring in a dump, but seeing the water carrying the trash away brought a little joy.

A pain in her backside caused her to pause. Reaching into her pocket, she took out a piece of the biscuit and ate it. It made the pain disappear, but she felt her back to make sure it was okay. Finding it blood free, she kept on going through the swamp. She paused to look at a few stuff and even grab some chips from a cooler.

The only thing she considered interesting happened to be a dummy. Pausing in front of it, she stared at it for a while. It was a beaten up dummy that seemed right in place. Frisk glared at it for a bit. Frustration of the past weeks built up in her system. All of this was stupid. She just went up the mountain to check out a legend. She didn't come here to fall into a damn hole and then be forced to relive whatever damn mistake she did.

With a shout the child punched the dummy. All she did was hurt her hand. Shaking the fist, the child grumbled to herself. She spotted the exit and started in that direction.

"Halt right there." The dummy jumped into the child path. "You think-"

"Move!"

Startled the dummy stopped for a minute. "What?" The dummy started to jump around. It face squinted up in angry. "You think you can do whatever you want?"

"I just want to go home. I'm sorry for hitting you."

"That isn't enough." The dummy started hopping around. "You destroyed my cousin."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not going to sit back and let you walk by. Dummies!"

Frisk groaned as her heart started to glow. Dummies popped out of the trash and water. They surrounded the child.

"Get ready to die!" The dummies declared in unison before firing magic that looked a bit like crumpled lines. Frisk darted around the magic before charging the dummy. Punching him, the child grinned. She blinked when the voice groaned.

 _You attacked the one creature that_ can't _be killed._

Laughing, the dummy hopped about. "I'm a spirit, you idiot! I'm possessing this body. You might as well be punching a rock."

"You know what?!" Sitting down, the child puffed in annoyance. "I give up!"

"Ha, ha, ha…. Pardon?"

"Kill me! I don't care anymore?"

"Um…" The angry dummy looked to his brother. "Come on now! You can't mean that!" Turning here back, Frisk pouted. "Guys! Shoot her."

 _Green mood on._

With a flick of her finger Frisk summoned the shield. "I'm not going to fight." The shield absorbed the blows of water that ended up soaking into her clothing. However, she still refused to move. "I'm sitting here until you go away."

"Fire, fire, fire!"

The missiles felled upon the shield and failed to get through. Frisk grinned as the dummies danced around. They looked for any break, but it soon became apparent that the shield could keep on taking damage.

Yelling in frustration, the angry dummy rammed the shields. Frisk smirk started to slide as cracks started to appear. She tried to get to her feet, but her butt seemed glued into place.

 _Did you forget? You're unable to move._

Frisk tried to summon a second shield. But when it failed to appear she started to panic. A chuckle echoed in her head. She gasped as her heart flashed a dark red. The dummies slammed into the shield and they broke. They charged down the child.

"Get out of my way, fools." Springing upward, the fallen child jumped clear of the dummies and they run into one another. She yanked the knife out of her pocket. "I might not be able to hurt you." Landing on a dummy back, she plunged the knife into the cloth. "But I can still cut up these flimsy bodies."

The knife was little more than plastic, but it tore through the cloth with ease. The dummy yelped as the child darted to dummy to dummy. The knife curved through them as they retreated. The child tried to follow, but something held her back. She huffed in annoyance.

"What the hell?" The mad dummy declared as it lunged about. "You think you can overpower me. I'll- Ouch!" Rain drops fell upon the dummy back. "Is that acid rain!? Screw this, I'm out of here. Dummies! Let leave this idiot to herself."

The dummies retreated. Grabbing her arm, Frisk forced the knife back into her pocket. Her teeth bit her cheek until the taste of metal flooded her mouth. A ghost that looked like a bed sheet with holes cut in it appeared. Headphones sat where its ears should be.

"Oh… sorry about that. I thought you would have been done by now. How you doing, Frisk?"

"Fine, I think." Frisk offered a smile. "I think I'm going insane. Have we met?"

"We meet in the ruins. Don't you remember? I got some new music you can listen to if you want or you could move on if you want."

The ghost floated off. Frisk followed him around a small pond and into a curved out portion of the cave. A blue house and an orange one stood along. Frisk followed the ghost into the blue house.

"I would offer you a sandwich, but we already learned that you can't eat it." The ghost told her before floating over to a desktop computer.

Going over to the refrigerator, Frisk opened it to find the sandwich. "Napstablook?" Frisk muttered as the name came back to her without warning.

"Yeah?"

"That's your name."

"Yep." The ghost turned toward the human. "I know it hard to remember, but it's the only name I got."

"No, no!" Waving her hands, Frisk shook her head. "It's just that I remember that. You seemed to remember some things."

"I know that you managed to get us out of the caves. At least, I thought you did." Going over to a music box, the ghost turned it on and played an eerier song. "Yet when I asked around people thought that I was crazy. I even remember you, though it took you a moment to remember me."

"You like to lay down after meals and create your own music."

"That's correct." The ghost looked at Frisk in confusion. "So I wasn't just being an idiot."

"No… it's hard to explain, but I'm starting to think that more is going on than what we know." Frisk looked to her hands. "I just did something I don't think I could do."

"I'm impressive that you managed to avoid Undyne," stated the ghost. Frisk was surprised by that news. "She's been through here; she was wondering if I had talked to you and alert her if she did. I told her that I hadn't seen you. The look she had was… scary."

"I can imagine."

"Do you want to hang out here for a while?" Napstablook went over to the door and locked it. "Undyne is probably waiting for you. If you stay here long enough she would probably get tired and look somewhere else."

"Or she would come again and do you harm." Frisk sat down to listen to the music. It may had been spooky, but she enjoyed it.

"She can't hurt me. I have no physical form."

"I still don't like the thought of you getting in trouble for me."

The ghost went over to the window and closed the curtain. "I'm certain that everything will be okay. Now, I'm going out and get you some physical food. If you tried to eat ghost food you would be dead pretty quick." With that said the ghost phased through the wall.

Frisk chuckled at the thought of the door or even a wall stopping Undyne. She already proven that she can break down either with ease. Yet she needed time to talk to someone.

 _Hey mystery voice._

 _You're going to call me that?_ asked the voice.

 _You got a name?_

 _Why would I tell you it?_

 _What happened back at that dump? One moment the dummies came at me and the next… it felt like someone else had taken control for a second._

 _You should be happy that you didn't have to go through that again._

 _I don't like it when you take over my body._

 _How do you figure that it is me?_

 _I'm unaware of another odd voice that refuses to leave me alone._

The voice chuckled. _And what if I took control from you?_

 _I want to you stop it. I hate it!_

 _Oh, you think you got things to hate._ A face with its eyes gorged out flashed in Frisk's eyes. Yelping, the child fell onto her hands. _You can't imagine the true meaning of that word. What it feels like to have everything in your hands, only to see it torn away; to have someone then force you to destroy everything you loved._

 _Are the dreams I'm having related to you?_ They are weird.

 _I don't know why you're having those. In truth, it annoying. I'm supposed to be in control! Not you!_

Frisk cringed. "Why does that sound so familiar? You know what, we're done talking for now. Go back to where ever the hell you're from."

 _If only I could go to hell, then I could finally get away from this._

"I'm going insane."

 _If that is true then please give me something to beat up. Better yet, think up some tasty food. I can't eat it, but I can get the sense of it._

"What if I thought up of what crap taste like?"

 _You wouldn't dare._

"Shut up and I might be merciful."

 _What happened to the pacifist?_

"What's a pacifist?"

 _So this is what it's like when you're given a larger leash._

"You're not making any sense again."

 _I'm tired._ The voice dully declared before snores started to echo in the child's head.

Frisk shook her head before searching the room. She found a piece of paper and pencil and wrote a thank you to Napstablook. She appreciated the help, but she needed to keep going. After that, she left the room and continued through the cave.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for the reviews and views.

* * *

Chapter Six

Frisk pushed the five feet grass that engulfed her out of the way. The sudden rustling of the plant brought her to a stop. Curling into a ball, the child dropped to the ground. She hummed the tone she heard from the statue earlier. As she thought Undyne appeared and grabbed for her, but somehow the monster kid was picked up instead.

Grumbling, the knight set him down and moved on. Once certain that the knight had disappeared Frisk walked out of the grass. A moment later the monster child appeared. He stated something about Frisk getting unlucky. She wondered if he remembered anything. Then again, even the people who knew something of the past timelines only got glimpses.

The monster child ran ahead and Frisk followed. For some reason the room darkened. Running a hand around the wall, Frisk found an exit. She started to leave, but felt another force pull on her. At first she thought it was the voice, but shook her head at that thought. When it took over it felt like she disappeared for a bit, but she knew what she was doing. This felt more like someone else was forcing her to go a certain way.

"There's an exit right here! Why not go this way?" Frisk tried to do as stated, but her legs dragged her in the wrong direction. "Hey! What's going on?" She punched one of her legs. "I said go to the exit which I found. Stop!" Frisk stopped in front of an echo flower. Huffing in annoyance, she pressed the damn thing.

"Behind you," said a familiar voice.

At that moment the room lit up. Frisk ducked as several spears slammed into the wall. Undyne marched toward Frisk, her armor gleaming in the light. Yet as she advanced the monster kid jumped out. A confused expression on his face.

"Undyne! What are you doing?!"

"Move kid!" Undyne shoved the monster kid out of the way. "You don't understand what will happen if this child gets free."

"Screw this all!" Frisk tried to run past the knight but the pole of the magic spear caught her. It sent her flying into a wall.

"Sorry, brat." Crushing the child against the wall, Undyne laughed. "But there isn't going to be a second chance."

"Undyne!" Monster kid jumped on the knight's back. "Stop it!"

"Like hell I will." Throwing the kid off, the knight kept applying pressure. "I'm going to end you once and for all."

 _Yeah right._ The voice sounded amused. _The worst she can do is just send you back to the last save._

Frisk wished she could mention that being crushed to death hurts. Lack of oxygen made it difficult for her to think. But that small comment gave her an idea. "You know that killing me won't solve anything."

"What?" The crushing paused for a moment.

"You have memories right? You were killed."

The knight grunted.

"You're alive now. What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

"I can tell you." Sticking her tongue out, Frisk pulled down the skin under her eye. "I can control time."

 _What are you doing?_ asked the voice.

 _I'm going to try to bluff my way out of this. Get my green heart ready._ Frisk offered a silly grin to the silent knight. "You heard me right. It's the only reason that you're still alive. Normally, I would erase your memory, but I wanted a challenge this time. You are a tough foe and I liked that." Frisk prayed that her expression was convincing. She felt ready to wet herself.

The knight just stared at her for a while. "Then I best make sure that the king absorbs your soul at once." The spear pulled away as Undyne reached for Frisk's neck. Slinging her arm up, Frisk grinned. "What the?"

The green heart appeared and a shield slammed into Undyne. She skidded back into a wall. A scream of pure rage escaped her throat. Frisk run as fast as she could. Her heart pounded against her chest. She thanked the voice for being so fast, but she could only think of getting away.

Hearing a second pair of feet, Frisk looked back to see the monster kid following after him. "What are you doing? Get out of here!"

"I can't leave you when Undyne is chasing after you."

"She's doing it because I am human." The poor child and monster kid stopped upon a wooden bridge. Below them a gorge cut deeper into the earth. Frisk glanced to exit. Her companion seemed confused. "Please go away. I don't want you to get hurt."

Yet the monster child turned around and stood in the path of the knight. "I'm standing my ground."

"Why?!"

"Because I like you." The monster child offer a smile. "I don't know why, but I get a feeling that we have met before. You're a good person. Please, I want to see you stay okay."

 _I'm getting it now. The game is bending itself._

What the hell are you talking about? asked Frisk.

 _Nothing important. Don't worry about the kid. He's going to be alright. Undyne, no matter how crazed she is, wouldn't hurt her own kind._

Nodding, Frisk run for her life. She left the narrow caves and entered a mountain range. High pecks jabbed into the airs. The path lead toward a tunnel in the mountain. Frisk run for it, but before she reached it a series of spears blocked off the path.

"Where the hell do you think you're doing?" Tearing off her helmet, Undyne tossed it to the side. The fish person with blue skin seemed to glow red. The fins attached to the side of her head flared out. The single yellow eye- the other covered by an eye patch- glared the child down. Yet Frisk couldn't help by wonder how she got long red hair tied into a ponytail to fit in the helmet.

"I didn't make him hold his ground." Frisk folded her arms. "And I don't want to fight you."

Spears sprung up around the child, but Frisk held her ground. Determination shined in her eyes.

"If what you said is true then killing you is waste of time. I'll just going to have to capture you and take you to the palace."

"That isn't going to happen."

With a swing of her spear, Undyne made Frisk's heart green. "Hold your ground! Coward!"

The spears that blocked the entrance disappeared, yet the magical weapons started to rain down on her. Huffing, Frisk summoned a shield around her. She yipped when one of the spear moved around the barrier and stabbed her in the back. Good thing they were only attacking her soul. A real weapon would have killed her at once. As more spears seemed to fall upon her, she took the blows the best she could, but the last one sent her to her knees. Taking out a moncit, the child ate it. She felt her health return, but the pain echoed through her body.

"Give it up kid! You can't win." Undyne charged with a spear in hand.

 _Changing heart mood, now!_

Frisk felt her heart turn red. Sidestepping the attack, she summoned a stick in hand and whacked Undyne upon the head. This stunned her long enough for Frisk to run into the cave. The tunnel lead deep into the mountain. Undyne chased her and managed to capture her several times. Yet Frisk managed to fend her off long enough to escape.

Passing a river, the child started to feel an intense heat. She thought of removing her jacket, but realized she wore none. She spotted a sign that welcome her to Hotland. Whoever named these places were terrible with names. She paused for a moment upon spotting Sans sleeping at a post with snow on its roof. Yet the anger Undyne gave her little time to think.

Then her phone rang. Frisk opened it.

"Hello!" exclaimed the skeleton. "How are you doing?"

"I'm being hunted down by Undyne!"

"That's great. I'm just here to alert you that I arrange a little get together with Undyne. If you two can make friends with her it would be wonderful. Now, just go to her house-"

The ground shook under the child. Tripping, Frisk hit hard wood and the phone bounced out of her hand. Scrambling to feet, the child glanced back to see Undyne kneeling down. Sweat shimmered against her face as her spear hacking away at bridge.

"If I can't take your soul, I'll at least force you to restart!"

Frisk glanced down and her eyes widened. Lava flowed stretched to the far sizes of the cavern. The child fled for the opposite side of the bridge. She prayed that if she get close enough to land that Undyne would stop.

With a final crack Frisk felt the bridge gave why. With a yelp she leapt forward. Her upper body slammed into rock. It knocked the air out of her and for a few minutes she just hanged there. Once recovered she found the strength to pull herself into the platform.

Panting, the child stared down into the lava. If Undyne fell into it, she would have been dead at once.

 _And good riddance_ , stated the voice. _She had been one of the more annoying people to exist._

Without a word Frisk opened the save panel and pressed the load button. A series of saves appeared before her.

 _What are you doing?_

"I'm going to set this right." Shaking her head, the child bit the inside of her lip. "The reason she chased me was because she wanted to help her people, didn't she?"

The voice remained silent.

"I saw the panels back there. Humans chased monsters underground and now Undyne wants my soul to help them get back up. How they are doing this is wrong, however, but I can't blame them for what they did."

 _Do you honestly think that those monsters would spare your life?_

"I do."

 _Then you're insane._

"Give me one good reason why I should listen to you."

 _Because in the end, it's just going to happen all over._

Frisk paused.

 _Hadn't you realized it yet? We are not in control of our actions. We never were._

"I'm choosing to load."

 _That's only because some idiot wants to have a better ending. He or she doesn't care that Undyne just killed herself. What they only care about is that they can make sure that they can see the best ending. If you load now all that you're doing is allowing their power to continue._

"And you want to break that power of control?"

 _Oh... if you only knew how I want to destroy it. We have the power, but I'm uncertain on how to use it._

"Then a restart should give you plenty of time to think." Frisk stated as she pushed a button and loaded a save.

. . .

 _I was betrayed on that day. There was nothing special about. Hell, it was downright boring. The sun was shining, the birds are chirping, and children were goofing off. Children like me was doing something unusual instead of going straight home. A group of people that might be called friends invited me to a birthday party. I had been to one or two before and have had a plenty of small ones with my father. I saw no reason to go._

 _I could walk pretty much anywhere around my village with ease. So I went to the party alone and then walked myself home. I called my father to alert him I was home. He didn't answer, which was normal. There were times when he came home so exhausted that he couldn't do anything. So I want into the living room to lose myself in television._

 _Father's still body laid on the floor. At first, I thought he just he was just sleeping. Hindsight told me that I just wanted him to be okay. So I shook him and probed him. I asked him to get off the floor. It was better to sleep on the bed. He didn't get up._

 _When I stood I found a bottle of pills on the floor. I thought I was so clever; take away the pills and Daddy would be alright. So I went back in time to remove the pills. When I returned home again that day Daddy was depressed but fine. A week went by and he appeared to be getting better. Then he took a gun to his head and blew it out._

 _Again and again I tried to keep him from killing himself. Yet as time wore by his many deaths took its toll. People around me started to notice that I looked sick. They asked what was wrong and I laughed. They would never believe that I kept my daddy from dying for the twentieth time in the last few months._

 _A part of me knew that Daddy needed help, but I didn't know where to go. Even if I found the right place I doubted I would have asked. Adults had never helped me before. After the fortieth attempt I gave up. Daddy betrayed me and there was nothing I could do about._

 _Hearing about the legend of Mt. Ebott, I decided it would be best if I disappeared. I climbed that mountain. I was ready to leave the world behind. But even that had proven to show more than once that it hated me._

. . .

Getting through the dummy proved a bit easier. With a clear mind and practice Frisk avoided all of the attacks until the ghost arrived. This time around the child thought of hanging out with the ghost for a bit. No need to go rush into an angry knight.

As they listened through the music, looked at the snails, and did a snail race, the child called up Papyrus. She asked if she could hang out with Undyne and the skeleton was excited. Now the only thing they needed was something to keep the knight calm enough to get her to accept the invite. To do that they needed Sans's help and plenty of glue. With that set up Frisk thanked the ghost for a good time and loved the music.

"Thanks." Napstablook offered a smile grinned. "I enjoy doing it. Good luck with Undyne."

With a nod Frisk went through the process of avoiding the knight a second time. When she came and grabbed the monster child a second time Frisk frowned. Undyne claimed that she remembered a past time line, but she still tossed the monster child away and marched on. She tried to talk to the voice about it, but it refused to do so.

Yet the second time she entered the darkened room a vision filled Frisk sight. The goat boy pointed up at the stars. Laughter escaped him as she struggled to name them. She had told the goat boy about the stars constellations above ground. Goat boy wanted to show her the constellations underground.

Frisk tried to find the row of crystals that formed the outline for the first hybrid of monster and human soul. She frowned. To her untrained eye all of the crystals looked alike.

"Hey Asriel," said Frisk, "Why did the humans force monsters underground?"

"Because they were afraid that we monsters would absorb their souls."

"You guys can do that?!"

Nodding, Asriel sat down. "I wish that we can say that humans had no reason to fear, but there had been several times in the past that a monster managed to do so." He clasped his hand to his head. "They were powerful beings. Normal humans would have needed armies to stop them."

"Really?!"

"At least, that's what my father told me." Asriel sheepishly agreed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Dad is rather old do to some odd way boss monsters work. It was the last monster that absorbed a human soul that scared the humans enough to go to war. I don't know all the details, but he was a terrible person. He wiped out entire countries until a combined force of humans and monsters finally managed to stop it."

Humming, Frisk picked at her legs. "Maybe that power will be needed once more."

"What do you mean?"

"Asriel, you know as well as I do that I can't break the barrier." Closing her eyes, she sighed. "No matter how many times Dad likes to tell me I can't do anyone good in my current state. I need more power, but even if I were to grow up it may not be enough."

The goat boy placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Come now! More humans have to come."

"I'm the first to come here in over hundreds of years. How long will it be until the next one comes? Months, decades, or a few more centuries? Asriel, I don't know about you, but I can't last that long. The oldest human I know of was in their seventies"

Asriel fell silent. For a while the two just sat there. Wrapping an arm around Asriel's neck, Frisk pulled him into a hug.

"Look, I don't know if this is a good idea either. It's just the only one that seemed to make sense at the moment." Flashing a grin, Frisk jabbed a finger at her chest. "Besides, I am the hero of this story. I should be able to do it."

The goat boy appeared dubious, but after a moment nodded his head. "Just promise me that if you do something stupid that I'll be a part of it as well."

Bopping Asriel on the nose, Frisk laughed. "Of course I am. If we're going to get pay back on humans we're going to have to work together."

With a nod the goat boy got closer to his sister. "You're right. All hail the hero!"

"All hail the hero!" A smile refused to leave her face.

"How long are you going to ignore me?!"

Turning around, Frisk stared Undyne down. "Do you still want to kill me?"

"Destroy your soul would be more like it." Undyne sighed as the monster kid stepped out of the bush. "Please give me a second."

Yet the monster kid redid his little act. Once rescued Frisk managed to get away. Undyne took her time to get to Frisk this time around, though the spears barred her path. The child stared the knight down. Both seemed a little uncertain of how to proceed.

"Frisk, aren't you getting tired of this?"

"Tired of what?"

The knight gestured to the area in general. "Why do you keep coming back? Even after a good ending. Why?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Placing a hand to her head, Frisk growled. "I don't know! For some reason I should, but at the same time I can't! It's so frustrating!" She pulled her hand away. "I do know this much. I'm uncertain of my actions. There are so many people telling me things that I can't even understand. I can't let you stop me, Undyne, but I don't want to hurt you."

"I can't agree to that statement." The spears fell and Frisk danced. She weaved around each attack with ease as if her body moved by its own command. Several times the child summoned her shield. The clashed of magic sent sparks into the air. "If I were to tell the truth I found all this irritating as well." Undyne charged in. She grabbed the spear in both hands and whirled it about. Frisk grimace as the tip glazed her cheek. "Something is wrong. I know it. Yet it feels as if the world itself refused to tell me why."

Slamming the end of the spear into the earth, Undyne shattered large fragments of it. Frisk halted as the earth trembled. With a second smashing of the earth, Undyne produced several large boulders. She kicked them in the air, grabbed one with her hand, and tossed it at Frisk. The child threw up her shield, but soon moved when the earth crashed right through it. The child looked to the gate that refused the fall. It fell last time.

 _The game is adapting_ , stated the voice

 _You mean the world._

 _Might as well be the same. Yes, the world itself is remembering things and is now doing its damn best to stop us._

 _Why?_

 _I honestly have no idea. You're not even harming anyone. Then again…_ The voice chuckled.

Evading a third shot of rocks, Frisk stepped in front of the gate. _Well, my shields are doing squat against great big rocks. Let's put them to good use._ The child leapt out of the way of another rock and it slammed right through the gate. Frisk charged down it. She sprinted as fast as she could and refused to look back.

Somehow Frisk managed to keep ahead of the knight. Yet as she run she heard the sound of metal cluttering to the ground. She looked back to see the knight tearing off her armor. She managed to get the top half off. A sleeveless black shirt covered her chest. Just as they reached the bridge Undyne caught up. A wild gleam flashed in her eyes as she closed in at the last few inches.

"Hey, Undyne." Both females leapt as the Sans appeared in front of Frisk. Stepping around, the skeleton walked up to the knight. "Hey guys! I heard that you two are picking each other bones. I thought I'll come by and help settle things a bit."

"Sans?!" The knight tried to step around, but the skeleton refused to move.

"First we need the right sort of music." With a snap of his fingers Sans summoned a rather hunting tune. Huffing, the knight tried to force her way through. "Next, we need the decorations."

"For what?"

"For the party!" From behind a reindeer looped a coil of lights around Undyne's neck. "Care to join us?"

"What the?" Caught off guard the knight fell back. Yet before she hit the ground her heart became blue.

"Hey Undyne!" Papyrus waved a hand. "Frisk told us that you seemed to hate being trapped here for some reason. Need some help getting away?"

"No! I don't need help." Tugging at the strings, the knight grunted. They stick to her hand and body. "Why are you guys here?! Why isn't Sans asleep?"

"I asked for their help." Frisk offered a wide grin. "Nothing much. I just need you to calm down enough so we can talk."

"Give me a break!" Undyne struggled, but it hard to move when gravity fought back. "Don't you guys understand? This kid is going to destroy everything."

"I'm not!" Frisk started across the bridge. "I'm going to figure out what the hell is wrong with this world and fixed it!"

"!? !? "

Everyone froze. They looked about to see where the noise may had come from. The voice chuckled darkly. Startled, Frisk started to run.

" &* $# ( ." The world started to flicker black and white. "(^#! &^()# ! #)"

"Frisk!" shouted Sans. "Run."

Yet before the child could get far she felt herself be pulled apart and then put back together. "What is going on?"

 _It's him_ , stated the voice, _he told me how to become a hero._

"" ;) $ # ! ) "

Frisk started into the darkness. A frown formed as she tried to pick out whatever the hell was talking. As the entity spoke she felt she could understand it. No, that was the wrong way of putting it. It's more like she can feel it wanting to talk, but with little real hostility.

A form started to take shape in the darkness. A gray blob that Frisk could tell was humanoid, yet had no real shape. For a while the two just stared at one another. The child gulped. She looked over her shoulder to see only darkness.

The form then broke apart. Frisk screamed as beings with formless bodies broke off. Large heads appeared and their gasping mouth bit the air. Frisk tried to run, but each step she took the formless being swarmed her. They engulfed her body, and in doing so the voice laughed.

Even now you're determined to get the best ending.

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	7. Chapter 7

Enjoy the read.

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Chapter Seven

Undyne seemed to materialize into space. Grabbing Frisk by the neck, she hauled her onto a shoulder and with a shout she stabbed away at the odd forms. Yet her spear went through them and left little damage. With a curse the knight ran. The child had little time to think as a gray door opened in front of them. Sans was there to wave them through.

A blast of heat slammed into the child's face. Blinking, she did her best to ignore it. They landed in front of a group of royal guards, who were then startled by Undyne's appearance. Huffing, the knight shook her head. She glanced to the royal guards and saluted them. They saluted back.

Marching to a large white building, the knight set Frisk down. "Alright kid. What just happened back there?"

"I don't know." Frisk shrugged. "I thought you did something."

"I wished I could send my enemies away to another place. It would make my life a whole lot easier."

"Undyne!" Rushing over, Papyrus got between the child and her. "I know that the king needs to see Frisk, but does it have to be this way? We can be good friends. You know that!"

"Papyrus, I'm going to leave her be."

"Pardon?"

Leaning on the spear, the knight sighed. "I'm tired, hot, and thirsty. Once I'm up to strength I'll bother with her. In the mean time she is to stay within this lab. Got it?"

The skeleton nodded and grinned. "Hear that, Sans! Looks like the plan worked."

"Even though someone else stole the glory." Marching on over, the shorter skeleton yawned. "Mind if I crush her for a bit. I could use a few winks myself."

"I'm sure that Alphys would be happy about the guest." Knocking on the door, the knight cracked her neck. "Hey Alphys, are you in there?" Silence answered. "She might be working on something." With a press of a button the door slid open.

The lab was huge. Walls painted a bright yellow held up a two stories. An escalator led to the second floor. Frisk followed the group into the room until she spotted a large monitor that showed her. Blinking, she went up to it and stared at the screen.

"Why am I on camera?" Frisk waved her hand. "And for how long?"

"Good question." Sans wandered over to a desk buried in notes. "Hey brother, mind looking for Alphys. I'm certain that she is here."

"On it!" Papyrus darted off while Undyne searched the fridge for something to eat.

"Leave her stuff alone!" shouted Undyne. "If I find one thing out of place I'm going to have to break bones."

"Undyne! I have no reason to search through her items. Of course, if they help me find her faster that would be good. Then again, there's a lot of interesting objects up here."

"Who's Alphys?" asked Frisk.

"She's the royal scientist for the kingdom." Setting down a piece of paper, the Sans chuckled. "Bright woman, but she may have a few issues. What happened to you?" He took a sit. "One moment you were there and the next you were gone."

"Some guy beckoned to me and spoke in these symbols."

"Spoke in symbols?"

Nodding, Frisk walked over to the table and took spare piece of paper and pencil. She scrabbled onto a few symbols-$# !:). San stared at the symbols for a long moment. A hand went to his head.

"That's impossible."

"What do you mean?"

"You shouldn't be able to see those. The guy that used them perished a decade ago."

Frisk shrunk into herself. "Are you telling me that a ghost just talked to me?"

"Kid, I would use my funny bone to make light of things, but I'm afraid that we should be tibia-ing."

The child stared at Sans.

"Come on! That was one of my best jokes. Humor aside, you just run into a bad person."

"What do you mean?"

Leaning back in her chair, the skeleton sighed. "His name was W.D Gaster. Before Alphys came along he served as the scientist of the palace. He created the core which all of the underground energy comes from."

"How does that make him bad?"

 _It's not the object, but the reason._

"Gaster was a brilliant man. He created much of the stuff we have in the underground today. Hell, people respected him greatly. His only flaw is that he felt a need to take the entire burden of the underground upon himself. He wanted to do the one thing that everyone else before him had failed- destroy the barrier that keep us within the underground.

"At first, his goals were simple enough. He believed that with enough energy that he could break the barrier. Magic made up the barrier, which was just another form of energy. With enough energy it should be possible to do so. The problem was that there wasn't enough energy to be use. At least, not enough energy he could get with ease.

"You see, kid, while the core is a marvel of technology it could only create a small amount of energy out from the manga. Far too little for what Gaster wanted. He tried to improve on his creation, but he soon learned that it would take more than his lifetime to complete the project."

"So he was short on time and wanted energy." Frisk tilted her head. "Is that the sum of it?"

"Aren't you smart? Yes, he wanted more energy. He searched the underground for it and found it in the worst place possible." Closing his eyes, San chuckled. "Monsters. Surprised? Unlike humans, our bodies are made out of magic. In theory, if one could turn our body into pure energy it would give off enough to do some major damage." When Sans opened his eyes Frisk drew back. In his left eye, a blue flame that flashed from blue and yellow stared her down. "He overstepped his bounds as a scientist. He experimented on many people in secret before he fell victim to his own experimentation."

Frisk wanted to run and hide. That single eyes forced dreadful imagines to her head. Monsters turned to dust. The world darkened as she walked forward. Dust floated wherever she stepped. Then she met Sans and was killed over, and over, and over again.

 _I told you that the guy can be scary._

Closing his eyes again, San shrugged. "I can't believe that the guy is still around, but then again he had always been a determined sort." When he opened his eyes again, the left eye had returned back to normal. "My advice would be to avoid him. He's one problem that should have been left in the past."

"Okay." Frisk left Sans to do what he wanted. For a few minutes she helped Papyrus searched for Alphys, but grew bored. Sitting on the bed, she watched her friend for a bit. There got to be something she could.

"Come on, Alphys." Papyrus stuck his head in a drawer. "Where are you?"

 _Does that guy know what privacy means?_ asked the voice.

 _I forgot about you for a moment,_ thought Frisk. _Do you want to play a game?_

 _A game?_

 _Yeah, you're stuck in my body and I wouldn't mind trying to get along._

 _You just want to use me._

 _No I don't!_ Glancing around, the child spotted a pair of action figures nearby. One of them appeared to be a cat woman while the other a flashy robot. _Let play with these._ Picking up the toys, Frisk grinned. _Which one do you want to be?_

A long moment of silence past. _I want to be the robot. So who are we?_

 _I guess we could be two friends fighting bad guys._ Frisk caused the cat woman to hop. _I'm Super Cat and I'm ready to fight._

 _And I'm Bionic Screw!_

Frisk felt her left arm be taken over. _Come on Super Cat! The humans are trying to steal peoples' souls. We got to stop them._

 _Yeah!_

For a short while Frisk and the voice battled imaginary enemies. They did a lot of fighting through the streets and buildings. Yet once in a while the child paused and wanted to talk the fight out. This got the voice upset.

 _Why are we trying to talk them out of the crime?_ asked the voice. _They are the bad guys. You can't stop them by talking._

 _Why not?_ Frisk looked to cat woman. _Wouldn't it be nice if we just talk things out?_

 _That's impossible, Frisk. Most of the time you just have to hurt someone to be able to do what is needed._

 _Why?_

The voice fell silent. Putting the toys down Frisk went back downstairs. She paused when the bathroom door opened.

"Now, if only I did this…" Stepping out of a bathroom, a small, yellow reptilian appeared. She wore a pair of glasses and a lab coat. Undyne ran down the stairs and scooped the scientist up in one arm. "Hey!"

"There you are!" Hugging the scientist, the knight bopped her on the head. "I have been looking all over for you. Hey Papyrus, I found her."

"That's good to hear." Marching down the up escalator, the taller skeleton made slow progress getting to the floor. "I was looking for her under the bed and behind the bookshelves."

"You're Alphys?" asked Frisk.

The scientist pulled away from the knight with a blush. "That w-would be correct. Y-you must be the human." Dashing up to Frisk, Alphys grabbed her by the hand and shook it. "It's an h-honor to meet you. My name is Alphys. As my colleagues t-told you I'm the royal scientist."

 _Nerd_ , stated the voice.

 _That's mean._

"Hey Alphys." Undyne marched over to the fridge and yanked it open. "I need your help with some nerd stuff."

 _Told you._

"Pardon?"

"I believe that we are facing a crisis with time and space junk. Don't know how and why, but I want it fixed. Get your special stuff on it."

"Undyne… I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think I can provide a better answer." Sans waved a hand at the scientist. "Long time no see."

"Sans! I thought you were retired."

"I am, but I'm not here because of that." Sans jabbed a finger at Frisk. "This kid brought me here to make sure Undyne doesn't beat her up."

"And why am I on a monitor?" Frisk pointed to the large screen.

"Oh." Rubbing her hands together, the scientist stared at the ground. "I h-have been watching you for a w-while."

"That's creepy." Frisk crossed her arms. "Cut it out."

"O-okay..."

"Can we worry about that later?" Sans placed his hands in his pockets. "We need to figure out how this kid is able to mess around with timelines."

"Pardon?" The scientist stared at the skeleton.

"It's true." Sitting down on the floor, the knight grabbed the side of her head. "I've got memories of Frisk or someone like her killing me and half the damn population."

"The human." Grabbing the child from behind, the taller skeleton stretched her cheeks. "This little gal? I've done combat with her and she have a generous soul. What you remember must be a dream!"

"I wish it was, brother." Sans leaned back in his chair. "I have something similar to it as well. Everyone in the underground should have a faint memory. The trouble is that there is also a memory of Frisk being a good guy."

"In other words, the multiple world theory." Undyne, Papyrus, and Frisk to stare at Alphys. Holding up a hand, the scientist darted off and returned with a book. Flipping through the pages, she hummed. "The theory itself is rather basic, but the outcomes are hard to follow. According to it, the future is never set in stone and anything can happen before a person makes a choice. Let's say Frisk there wants to watch an anime or do work."

"I like anime!" Frisk clapped her hands. "Especially the one about that boy that was stuck in the iceberg."

"That's not anime, but it was inspired by it. Now, please stay focused. For an example, Frisk can choose to watch anime or do her work. If she does her work, she will be praised as a good girl by her mother. If she watches anime, she may earn her mother's scorn. Each universe exists even when Frisk made an opposing choice. Our Frisk may have watched anime and gotten scold-"

"Alphys," said Frisk, "I think you need to work more."

Coughing, the scientist looked away. "W-well that is true, but let's return to my explanation. Long story short, each world has the possibility to exist and due to the infinite number of choices there would hypothetically be an infinite number of worlds. It you took it to the extreme, you could arrange the world to become one big desert where only an odd type of bird can survive."

"Okay." Frisk rubbed her head. "I think I get it. Now how can I do it?"

"How do you normally do it?"

Frisk shrugged. "Apparently, I can use determination to save and then load. In this way I can go back in time."

"And…"

"That's it." The child sighed. "I know as much as you do."

"Alright then." Setting the book down, the scientist picked up a notepad. A gleam flashed in her eyes as she scanned the child over. "Youth, about five feet tall. Brown hair and blue eyes. Appears to be normal. Are you aware of any magicians in your family?"

"Magicians?"

"Most humans are unable to use magic, but there were a few of your kind that were able to do it. So, any magicians in the family?"

Frisk found it incredible that Alpyhs' nerves disappeared with something to focus upon. "I… I don't know. My parents died when I was little."

"Oh. How about any abilities before coming to the underground. How you done anything that would be consider magical?"

"No." Looking at her hands, Frisk frowned. "If I could had save and load before coming here I would have tried to load myself out of the underground. I only started using the abilities after I fell down here."

"So sometime between the fall and entering the underground you gained this ability." Alphys tapped her pencil on the note board. While this took place, Undyne stared at the scientist. An odd smile sat on her face. The knight noticed the child watching and looked away with a blush. Deep in her thoughts the scientist puzzled over the mystery. "I can see humans able to use determination to time travel. I never heard of a monster who could do so. Then again I would need to look it up." Sans coughed. "With enough magical energy it would be possible. Yet there should be little reason to why it just manifest. How old are you?"

"Ten."

"If history text is correct, then you humans go through puberty and you're a girl, but…"

Shaking her head, Alphys looked to the others. "There are far too many variables to f-figure out b-by a simple interview. I would n-need months if not years to know the basics. Is there anything else that happened about that time?"

Remembering the voice, Frisk opened her mouth. She cringed as her head exploded into pain. Felling to her knees, she grabbed hold of her head. Pain crashed through it. People surrounded her, but she could only focus on the pain.

 _You are to tell nobody about me,_ stated the voice _. If you do I will make your life hell._

With that said the pain disappeared. Frisk stood and shook away the helping hands. If only she knew when the voice appeared. Of what she knew, it must have accompanied her on one of the previous runs through the area. Maybe if she could just get rid of it...

"Human!" Grabbing her by the shoulder, Undyne shook her. "Alert me if you're okay."

"I'm fine." Frisk pulled away. "From time to time I get bad headaches. I'll live."

"That's good." Papyrus smiled as he held out a hammer over Frisk's head.

"What's that?" asked the child, trying for a moment not to worry.

"Oh! This is my go to sleep mallet." The taller skeleton offered a wide grin. "While I don't need to nap I understand that other people do. Undyne informed me that the best way to do that is to use a mallet."

"Where did you learn that from?"

"Anime," Undyne smiled. "They are historical."

 _I hope that she never hurts anyone with that information_ , thought Frisk.

 _Ignorance is death_ , the voice retorted.

"Thank for the help, guys, but I need to get going." Frisk started off, but Alphys got in her way.

"Hold up a second. If this business with the timeline is true then it needs to be fix. Who knows what a constant restart to the world can do."

"It may be best if we let her go," said Sans. "Labs test are good and all, but we have no question to ask. If we see it at work in the field we will get better results."

"But how will we know that it h-happened when the timeline resets?"

Standing, the wide skeleton grinned. "Frisk, why don't you get going? I'll go back to the house."

"It's a decent walk from here to Snowdin," stated Undnye.

"I have a shortcut." With that said Sans left the building.

The knight followed after him with a question ready, but she poked her head outside she blinked. "What the?! Did he run when he went outside?" With a shrug she pulled back. "Whatever. Let go with his plan."

"Undyne." Tapping her fingers together, the scientist shook her head. "We can't just send Frisk out without setting up some boundaries."

"Too late!" exclaimed Papyrus. "Frisk now has her own show!"

"What?!" Everyone gathered around the monitor.

Growing tired of the adult talk, Frisk made her way across a land bridge. Below her, lava flowed freely. A giant metal structure stood in the distance. Large metal pipes extended from it and up into the cavern roof. Frisk hummed to herself. Something in her told her that she had forgotten something.

"Pardon me!"

Frisk turned around. "Yes?"

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, but where are you? Are you invisible?"

"You're stepping on my face."

Looking down, both Frisk and the voice screamed. A panel of many lights flashed at them. The child stepped away and it erupted out of the ground. Landing upon a large wheel, the gray box ran circles around the child. Its gloved hands whipped off its metallic body.

"Hello, my good fans." A compartment opening up on the side of the machine's head and spit out a microphone. Catching it, the machine turned and faced something off in the distance. "Welcome to another show! I, Mettaton, will be your host! Today, we have a special episode!" His arm flung toward Frisk. "Today, we have a special guest- a human!" The mic went to Frisk's mouth. "Please introduce yourself to the audience."

"This is on television!" Swiping the microphone away, Frisk waved at the air. "Hello, my name is Frisk and I'm a nice person. To all you monster out there can you please stop attacking me. All I want to do is go home."

"Now isn't that just great!" Taking the microphone away, the robot circled around the child. "A poor child who is off to get home. Trap in the underground she struggle against odds to see her love ones."

"My parents are dead."

"Oh, that just terrible, but you must have someone you want to return to."

Frisk thought a couple of friends, but her mind also went back to Toriel. The old goat had given a lot in just a short time. She made Frisk felt part of a family. The child could see herself staying with Toriel for a while. The child nodded.

"That's good child! We have the hero of the show."

"I'm the hero!" Frisk declared before clapping her hands over her mouth. She wished that the voice would stop that.

"That's true." Rolling around the child, Mettaton's screen flashed with yellow lights. It formed a frown. "Sadly, there must be a villain for every tale."

"Oh."

"Mettaton!" Alphys rushed out. "I can't let you do this now! I'm calling off the plan!"

"But Alphys, I can't do that. The show must go on!" With a flick of its wrist the robot shot lightning out of his finger. Frisk yelped as the voice cursed. "And this villain must make sure that the hero is pure."

"Mettaton." Clamping onto the robot's side, Papyrus squealed. "It so nice to meet you! I, Papyrus, watch your show all of the time."

"Look at all the fans." Mettaton smiled as it held the mic to the skeleton. "It's good to see that you all want to watch me, but I must get started. Oh, and Alphys." Going into a spin, the robot threw the pair apart. "Please be a dear and stay there." Snapping his finger, the machine summoned a pair of beams that cut off the exit.

While this took place, Frisk tiptoed away. If she could get far enough then she might be able to make a run for it. A hand fell upon her shoulder. Turning around, she gulped.

"Hello, pretty boy." Slapping the metal away, the fallen child grinned. "So you want to play with me? I'll warn you right now. I'm too hot to handle." Frisk grabbed the child's face and twisted it. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

 _Stop making me do weird things!_ Frisk let go of her cheeks. "Please…"

Placing a hand to his screen, Mettaton blushed. "Darling, I appreciate the feelings, but I'm afraid any relationship would be far too short. Shall we begin the quiz show?"

Frisk looked to the way she wanted to go and found it blocked off by another laser. "Um… sure." she agreed before her chest started to glow.

"First question!" Flicking a card out, the robot grinned. "When you first arrived to the underground did you- A; kill Toriel, - B; destroy the flower, -C; break everyone's hearts, or -D; done so much damage that the world imploded."

 _How the hell does he even remember all that?_

Gulping, Frisk pressed her hands together. "Can I get another option?"

"Nope! Pick one!"

"But I didn't do any of that!"

"Wrong." A rod came out of Mettaton's head and zapped Frisk. Screaming in pain, she collapsed onto the ground and quivered. "The answer is all of above. Next question. The world is held together by peanut butter. Mr. Fluff the armadillo is eating the peanut butter. How many days would it take him to eat it?"

"Mettaton!" Alphys tried to push on the barrier, but it threw her back. "Stop this now!"

"Oh! Oh!" Jumping up and down, Papyrus waved a hand. "Call me in, Frisk. I know the answer!"

Struggling to her knees, the child growled. "That hurt!" She leapt to her feet. "If you're just going to kill me then do it!"

"But what would be the point?" Going around the child, Mettaton's screen turned into a smile. "You have yet to learn anything. Now, give me an answer or be zap."

 _Maybe if we throw dust in his face it would blind him_ , the voice suggested.

"The armadillo wouldn't eat any of it!" shouted Frisk. "Armadillos don't eat peanut butter."

"That's correct."

"Oh." Pulling his hand down, the skeleton lean toward the scientist. "I thought it would be at least one million, two hundred and three years."

Alphys let out a tired and vaguely annoyed sigh.

"Next question!" Mettaton declared. "There is only one way of getting to the castle. How do you do so?"

"Easy. You just go up through the core and into the castle."

"Wrong."

Frisk screamed as she fell to the ground.

"The correct answer is that there is none. While it is true that the elevator in the core can go straight to New Home, there is no easy access to the castle."

 _That's new._

"So to get to the castle I would have to go through New Home?" Getting into kneeling position, Frisk spit out blood. "Is that what you're telling me?"

"That's correct." Mettaton gestured to the skies. "Your next question is what happened in the series of Uranto in volume five, chapter 43."

"I know!" Alphys started to speak, but Undyne stormed out of the lab.

"Are you kidding me?" Undyne shook her head. "That's where Uranto passed the exam by staying determined even though he didn't answer a single one."

"Whatever she said!" shouted Frisk.

"Damn it! Alright then. Who is Undyne in love with?"

"Pardon/what!?" shouted the scientist and the knight.

"I don't know!? King Asgore!"

"That wouldn't be incorrect. From a young age Undyne has admired the king and when she wasn't following around the old hero she would try to overcome him. Yet a more appropriate answer is standing in this room."

"I already know that I'm loved," said the skeleton. "I-"

Clamping a hand over his mouth, Undyne shook her head. "Please, just shut up."

"Well, that's enough now for our show. Alphys, you be a good girl and stop hiding in your little home. Frisk." The show host leaned in close. "I do hope that you prove yourself right." The barriers fell and the robot darted off.

"Are you alright?" Alphys walked over. "I'm sorry for any damage. I don't know what got into him."

"Hey Alphys." Walking over, the knight frowned. "Mettaton just said that the elevator in the core goes to the city. That can't be right, is it?"

Frowning, the scientist adjusted her glasses. "Last I remember it should go straight to the castle. Hey Frisk, do you have a phone on you?"

"Yeah." The child pulled the phone out. "Why?"

"I'd like to upgrade it. With a few modifications you should be able to go up against Mettaton. Hey Undyne, I got a map of the underground on my computer. Would you pull up for me?"

By the time everyone entered the room Sans was already at the computer. Pulling away, he gestured for them to sit down. Undyne and Papyrus badgered him, while Alphys and Frisk gathered around the computer. The child blinked upon seeing that the core did indeed go up to the city. It was on the far side of town and opposite of the castle.

"It would seem that we're not the only one screwing around with time." Sans scratched his chin. "Hard to believe, but if one person could do it then another could."

 _Flowey?_ Thought the voice. _No, a person can only go back in time to which one existed. Then could it be…_

 _Are you going to tell me anything?_

 _The man who speak in hands may have more effect in the world then we thought._

* * *

 _Please leave a review._


	8. Chapter 8

Enjoy the read.

* * *

Chapter Eight

Pocketing her upgraded phone, Frisk headed toward the core with Papyrus in tow. Alphys and Sans stayed behind to use a device to monitor any disturbance in the timeline. Undyne wanted to come along, but in being a fish, the heat got to her. So she chose to stay behind to help the scientist in any way possible.

"If Mettaton comes around, I'll make sure he'll leave you be." The tall skeleton crossed his arms. "I'll be the best bodyguard out there. One look at me and he'll flee in terror!" Frisk felt compelled to tell the skeleton that the celebrity body was impossible to break. If the skeleton tried to attack, there was a large chance that he'd just break himself. Yet the child just nodded. "Though if I could get on his show again, that would be great to. The only thing that I would need to do is show myself and everyone will like me at once."

 _Please make him stop_ , begged the voice.

"Hey Papyrus," said the child. "How much do you cook?"

"As much as possible." The skeleton jabbed a finger in the direction of the lab. "Since Undyne taught me a few months back, I have been working hard to cook the best spaghetti. My brother says that it has the most indescribable taste."

"Do you cook anything else?"

"Why would I?"

"Because there are other things in the world to eat than spaghetti."

"But I like it."

"I like to eat ice cream, but I can't eat it every day."

 _I could eat pounds of chocolate_ , stated the voice. _Go find me some chocolate._

 _Why don't you go to sleep for a while?_

Papyrus and Frisk got on the elevator and went through the first few puzzle with ease. When they entered the elevator a second time it traveled up for a bit before freezing into place. Confused, Frisk pressed the button several times.

"We stopped," stated the skeleton.

"Obviously."

"I heard that the elevator in the Hotlands are bad at times, but this is just silly." Papyrus kneeled down and rubbed his chin. "Well, based on my own experience there should be a call button on this thing."

"You've gotten stuck on the elevator before?"

"Yeah, I was curious how the elevator worked and opened the door." The skeleton glanced to the side. "It was one of my least stellar ideas, but I got to have a nice chat with the fire department."

 _Three, two, one._

The elevator started to beep. Flipping around, the panel became a screen. Mettaton appeared on it.

"Hello!" shouted the host. "It's good to see that you have come to join me for my new game!"

"Oh!" Clapping his hands, the skeleton glanced about. "I like games. What are we playing?"

"It's a simple computer game." A pair of controllers fell from the roof. "All you need to do is beat it and you may keep going on."

"Okay?" Picking the controller up, Frisk stared at it. "What's the catch?"

"If you fail to beat the game I'll cut the lines to the elevator and drop you into the lava."

"Isn't that a bit drastic?" asked Papyrus.

"And Papyrus have nothing to do with this!" Slamming a fist into the panel, the child grimaced. "It's not fair."

"Is it fair for only one person to relive their life over and over again?" Mettaton looked up as if to see some distant object. "Is it fair for a person to be born in a richer family then another? Is it fair that some are crippled by disease while others get to walk with little worry? Child, you have already proven that the world isn't fair."

 _Oh good grief_ , said the voice. _Let me at this damn robot. I will tear him apart with ease!_

 _That's not a nice thought._

 _Neither is dropping people in lava when they are clearly innocent._

"Looks like we have little choice in the matter." Bending down, the skeleton picked his controller up. "We shall vanquish this challenge." Kneeling down, the skeleton whispered into Frisk's ear. "No worry, I'm sure this is all part of the show."

"Alright then. Let me explain the basics of the games." With a snap of the fingers a new screen appeared. Love's Hero appeared on screen. "Love's Hero is being designed by local group of programmers. It's a standard dungeon game where our hero must get out of the dungeon at once. To keep it fast and simple, you guys just need to get through the first level. The object is to get through it as fast as possible without any lives being lost. Begin."

When the screen changed both Frisk and Papyrus had a skeleton as an avatar. They stood in a maze like room. The exit happened to be the center. A number of monsters stood in the way. The duo at once had their avatars rushed through the maze. After a bit of button mashing they found the attack button. Papyrus roared with each monster he took down. Yet as Frisk cut the creatures down she felt a ping of pain in her heart. They were doing something wrong.

 _Crap_ , the voice hissed, _we broke the rules._

Before the child could ask why, her character made it to the end a moment sooner than the skeleton. "We lost."

"What are you talking about?" The skeleton posed. "We made it through with ease."

"I'm afraid the kid is right," echoed Mettaton's voice. "You failed to keep any lives from being lost."

A sharp snap startled the two, then the sound of a ringing from her phone had Frisk pulling it out.

"Give me a moment!" shouted Alphys. "I'll apply the break."

"Papyrus!" shouted Sans. "Apply your magic to the elevator!"

"Yes sir!" Holding his arms out, the skeleton engulfed the elevator in a dark blue glow.

Metal shrieked as they slowed to a stop. Yet Frisk could feel the heat through the floor. She yelped when it started to melt.

"Don't worry!" shouted the taller skeleton. "This is just all part of the act. All we need to do is move ourselves up a little…." Yet Papyrus bold expression seemed more of a mask than usual. If he had skin he would be sweating. That smile was forced. "Frisk, climb onto my shoulder if you like. I can't feel heat that much so it won't bother me."

 _Just a little note to you. I was kind enough to save right after that talking trash bin came by. If you like I can load it for us._

 _Please and thank you_ , said Frisk.

. . .

 _When I first came to the underground I was scared. A goat child found me in a flower patch and I almost attacked him. The only reason I didn't was because I could feel that he was innocent. He would much rather make friends with the odd being than fight me. Asriel, as he called himself, took me home to his parents. Oh, was I shocked when I learned that the two were royalty to all monsters. Monsters! Can you believe it! A whole bunch of magical beings living underground who acts more like clowns than menaces._

 _When Asriel's family took me in I waited for them to do something bad to me. Life hated me. Something bad would happen and I would have to restart. But I never had to. They accepted me as if I was their own kind. I went to school and the children saw me as a wonder. The only people to have seen a human were the King and Queen; and that was almost a thousand years ago!_

 _People wanted to get to know me! They wanted to know my dreams, my hopes, my desires, and my interests. Sure, there were a few mean monsters here and there, but for the most part I was one of them. Asriel was the best out of them all. I never had a brother and when I still lived with my dad I wanted a sibling. It would have helped make life easier with a companion._

 _I was both wrong and right about that. Having a sibling sucks if you wanted privacy. He always wanted to play with me. There were times where I just wanted to be left alone and he invaded my thinking space. This is especially true when I started my garden and he would always want to help me. I wanted to be left alone with my buttercups, asters, pink-sorrel, and tulips. Yet he would somehow always find a way to join in._

 _Then there was all the sharing! I have to share this and that and this and that. It was_ _my_ _chocolate! Nobody else can have it! Then he would always cry over the smallest of things. Once I took a frog and placed it in his cup of water. It jumped out at him and he bawled for a long minute before settling down._

 _Yet for all the annoyance my new brother was a good friend. We played with each other often. When all the neighborhood kids came together and played a match of ball, Asriel and I were always on the same team. We were the terrible two, the great candy thieves, the lords of the playground and more. I especially love it when we play acted. I got to be the grand hero and he'd like to play the villain. Of course, I allowed him to win at times. It would be boring if the hero won every time._

 _Toriel and Asgore were good people. Mom would make me eat my greens, but Papa would always sneak me a little chocolate. They feed me, clothed me, and gave me the family I always wanted. I love my original dad, but he always seemed to go away into his own world. Toriel, Asgore, Arsiel and all of the underground gave me a new home._

 _For the first time in a long time I couldn't hate anything. I loved it all._

. . .

Frisk watched as Mettaton retreated. The adults were talking and she felt like throwing up. Keeping her lunch down, she followed the group inside. Sans was there again, but this time he held up his device with a grand smile. It looked simple in itself. The square metal box had a couple antennas sticking out of it. The screen flashed a dark green.

"Frisk, you just came back in time," announced the short skeleton. "It happened about forty-five minutes later."

"That's right." Frisk's eyes grew wide.

"How do you know that?!" stated Alphys. The group gathered around Sans.

"It's complex, but I'll explain the best I can." Sans pointed to the device. "Let me start off that this machine is much more complicated than it looks. I had to cram a device that can attar even the weakest of particles charges to it. It also requires quantum mechanics that is a pain in the tailbone. Long story short, this thing captures a special type of particle that only appears when atoms are being torn apart."

"Wouldn't that cause a nuclear reaction?" Undyne asked, earning everyone to look at the knight in surprise. "What? I can like science. I just like the stuff that is exciting."

"Valid point, but the nuclear reaction doesn't happen because the particles are doing everything in reverse. Think of it as a video of a building collapsing. Through the magic of rewinding we get to see the building be put back together." Sans pointed to Frisk. "Now imagine that Frisk have a similar rewind button, but she can do it with every atom in the universe. That's a simplified form, but it's more or less the idea."

"That's incredible!" Alphys she snatched the device away. "If you can create just a device like this, we can bring a revolution to science. Why haven't you shown this to people before?"

"Because the only way to test any of my hypotheses is to go back in time." Lowering his head, Sans sighed. "As you guys can see it can be a bit hard to observe an effect when you're unaware of it. I only managed to get one successful result and… I don't like to think about it."

"Sans." Papyrus hugged his brother. "Did this happen when you were still working as a scientist."

"You were a scientist?" asked Frisk.

"There plenty of scientists," stated Alphys. "I'm just the royal scientist. That just means I'm the highest one in the land and answer directly to the king. There are tons more in New Home."

"That's correct." Yawning, San covered his mouth. "I specialized in quantum physics and time. You could say that I fibula with the watch." Papyrus slapped his face while the girls focused on the device. Frisk patted him on the arm and offered a smile. "Anyhow, it became too much work for me and I gave it up. Now, what happened to bring you back?"

Frisk told of his second encountered with the celebrity. Sans nodded his head. His smile faded a bit.

"And I'm starting to think that someone is erasing my memories as well."

"So wait?" Undyne frowned. "Some people in the population remember that Frisk came through here several times. Sometimes she was a good person and sometimes she was evil. Yet nobody can remember why. Oh, and we're all in agreement that the elevator thing is insane." Everyone nod. "Is it just me or there a bigger player at work?"

 _Several_ , stated the voice, _and you met one of them before._

 _Who?_

 _Wish I can tell, but even in your own mind I'm afraid to speak. The mastermind behind this all loves to make people suffer. They are cruel beings that force children to go through great danger and kill them for entertainment._

Frisk gulped. _They're that scary?_

 _Worse. Once they learn that we are on to them they will have us all killed. Please don't tell this to the others. They will ask for an explanation. I can't tell them anything without making everyone targets._

"Frisk," said Alphys. "Are you okay?"

"I'm scared," admitted the child. "That robot scared me."

"He's not a terrible guy." Alphys chuckled. "In fact, he agreed to help me try to impress you by being the bad guy."

"Why?" asked Undyne.

Chuckling, the royal scientist looked at the ground. "I just want to impress her, that's all. He attacked Frisk, I saved the human, and I'll be seen as a better person." Alphys averted her eyes from anyone in the room. "Pathetic, isn't it?"

"Alphys." Kneeling down, the knight hugged the scientist. "Are you feeling alright of late?"

Blushing, the scientist looked anywhere but Undyne. "I-I'm fine. Just… I guess I'm feeling down on myself. That's all."

"Want to watch some anime?" The knight grinned. "You always enjoyed that."

"After we figure out how to get through the robot." Sans sat up. "Alphys, you built Mettaton. You gave a robot a soul. How did you do it and how can we use it against him?"

 _Wait, what!_

Frisk cringed at the sheer volume. _You didn't know about it?_

 _Why would I?_

 _I thought you knew everything._

 _Of course not! Now shut up and let me listen to this._

Alphys stared at her feet. "Well… you see… um." After a long moment the scientist offered a shy smile. "I did give a robot a soul, but that isn't the whole truth. Before Mettaton took on his body, he was a ghost."

"Mettaton was a ghost?" asked Papyrus. "How?"

"While the general public were told that I created a robot with a soul they misunderstood. It's more like I transferred the soul of a monster into a machine. That why the king hired me. My studies focused on how the soul works."

"That's cool!" Undyne pulled the scientist into a crushing hug. "Would it be possible to put my soul in a robot body?"

"T-t-theoretically, it's possible. It was easy to do w-with Mettaton because h-he lacked a body."

 _Happy ending here I come!_

 _Great, you're talking crazy again._

 _Shut up and let me enjoy my new hope._

 _If I find you chocolate will you tell me something?_

… _Gulf down two chocolate bars and we might talk._

Papyrus decided to accompany the child again. When they got to the elevator Frisk told the skeleton to obey her command. If they wanted to get out of this alive they needed to work together. With a nod the skeleton waved the child's concern away. He doubted that Mettaton meant harm. Just as last time they went into the elevator. The celebrity appeared and they had their little chat.

Once the game appeared Frisk took the controller. "Remember! You can't kill any of the monsters."

"But where is the fun of that!?" Papyrus frowned as he got to work. He did as asked, however, and they got through the level with some ease.

"So you can learn!" Clapping his hands, the celebrity offered a thumbs up. "That's great, but I'm going to have to leave you there for now. Ciao!" With that said the elevator buttons reappeared. Frisk tested them, but as the celebrity promised they refused to work.

Alphys ringed in. "Hey guys! I see that the elevator is stuck."

"Have you tried bashing the panels?" asked Undyne. "That usually works for me when the door is stuck."

"Undyne," said Sans, "All those stuck doors were locked. You just kept forgetting your keys."

"Whatever."

"Just give me a moment to work on the cables." The scientist hummed. "Damn it!"

"What's wrong?" asked Frisk.

"Mettaton didn't just screw with the programming, but also messed with the wires. Someone will have to go out there and fix it."

"We don't have the time!" stated Papyrus.

"Or you could open the hatch over your head and climb out." Alphys told them, all but grinning back in the lab. "I made a button so that your phone can turn into a jetpack."

"Cool!" both child and skeleton exclaimed. The tall skeleton helped by climbing onto the roof with Frisk close behind.

"Let see now." Pressing a few buttons, Frisk grinned when her telephone morphed into a jetpack. "It's about the right side for me."

"Hold up a second." Papyrus held out a hand. "It would be improper for a youth to use just a dangerous device. I, Papyrus, will put it on and fly us to safety."

"Okay."

Once the skeleton shouldered the jetpack he picked the child up. "This should be easy enough. There's an on button right here." Holding Frisk to his chest, he hummed. "I guess I just lean my body left and right. This should be an easy task as skeletons are made to be aerobatic!" Frisk rolled her eyes before pushing the button.

With a burst of speed they soared upward. Screaming, the skeleton tried to turn his body and bounced off the wall. Frisk and the voice screamed as they ricocheted. Each time they hit the skeleton took the worst of the blows. An odd sound reverberated down the elevator.

A moment later a door popped open and the duo soared right through. The jet pack must have lost fuel, for they slammed into the ground. Yet the skeleton managed to turn around in time and take the blow. Skidding to a stop, they laid there for a moment. Frisk jolted, but overall alright.

 _Why did we have to hurt that guy again_ , groaned the voice.

 _You hurt Papyrus._

 _Call it half intentional with the other half of our master cruelty._

"Human! Are you alright?" The skeleton offered a wide smile. "I have taken a bit of a beating, but I should be able to walk. We were lucky that the door opened!"

 _I don't think luck filled the bill_ , thought Frisk. She felt someone in that room with them. Yet how does one explain that to anyone?

They stood and Frisk turned her jetpack back into a cellphone. Despite the abuse it appeared to be unscratched. This filled her with a bit of determination and a star formed near her. With a shrug she walked over and saved. It would be best not to go through that madness again.

"So where are we?" asked the skeleton. "Are we at the top level? I would like to get to the castle as fast as possible."

"Nope."

Frisk and Papyrus stared in surprise at Sans. Standing behind his stand, he offered the pair a smile. Somehow the roof was still covered in snow.

"Why is your guard station here?" The taller skeleton marched over. "Have you been messing with time and space again?"

"I just took one of my shortcuts." Pulling a hot dog from under the stand, San held it out. "Care to take one? I'll sell it for the low price of fifteen bits."

 _This guy needs to stay in one place_ , stated the voice.

"Why did you come here?" asked Frisk.

"We caught another disruption in the timeline in the elevator. Did anything happen?"

"Nope," said Papyrus. "We took the jet pack and flew right through an elevator door that opened for us."

"It opened for you?" Sans looked to Frisk.

Holding up her hands, the child shook her head. "I had nothing to do with that. I felt something and then the door opened."

"Then it would seem that another party has decided to play fate in this world." Shrugging, the wider skeleton laid down. "Whatever. As long as they help us and don't interfere, we can earn us another helper. Anyway, you guys are on level 2L. Your little stunt bypassed several of Mettaton's traps. He is pissed."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he's charging down the field as we speak." The shorter skeleton pointed to the west. Sure enough the celebrity charged their way. His screen flashed an angry face.

"Do you think you can get away from me that easy?!"

"Oh boy!" Scooping Frisk up, the Papyrus ran. "Back to the elevator!"

"But it's not working!" exclaimed Frisk.

"Then up the stairs!"

"There are stairs?"

"There is!" Alphys shouted through the cellphone. "There's a panel to the right of the elevator. Pull it open and you'll find a button." Papyrus did as told and pressed the button. A metal staircase shot out of the wall.

"Up we go!" Running up the stairs, the skeleton glanced back to the celebrity. "Nyeh Heh Heh! With these wheels you can't catch us." A jet pack sprung out of the robot's back and he flew after the pair. "No fair!"

"Sorry darlings." Snapping his fingers, Mettaton's opened a hatch in his head. "But you need to stop now." Mini Mettatons shot out of his head. They flew high into the air before opening umbrellas.

 _Well crap_ , stated the voice.

 _What's wrong now?_ asked Frisk.

The mini Mettaton took out hearts and threw them at the fleeing duo. Yelping, the skeleton contorted his body to avoid being hit. He tried to speak, but more bomber rained down and forced the skeleton to shut up.

Tighten arms and legs around the skeleton's neck, Frisk whimpered. _Hey voice! Do something?!_

 _Like what?_

The phone ringed and Frisk picked it up. "Tell me of something of use!"

"I have modified the phone into blasters!" exclaimed the scientist. "Use them."

 _Finally!_ the voice shouted. _Yellow mode, on!_

Frisk yelped when the phone broke apart. The four pieces fell back onto her wrists and wrapped around. A pair muzzles shot out of the bracelets.

"I need to get Alphys to modify all of my stuff!" Pointing her hands outward, the child hummed. "Now how do I fire these?" She placed the bands together and a pair of bolts shot out. They slammed into the mini robots and destroyed them.

"Damn you, child!" Mettahon shook a fist. "And that scientist. Can't you see that you're delaying the inevitable?!"

"Maybe!" Frisk kept shooting down the bombers until they stopped coming. "That was easy."

"Then try one of my bombs!" Pulling a bomb out from his back, the celebrity threw it onto the stairs. The skeleton jumped on it and knocked it into the sea of lava. "Mama mia! This is the wrong game!"

"I'm not sure what we are doing anymore," proclaimed Papryus. "My legs are getting tired."

Flying on over, Mettaton pulled out a metal bottle. "If you would like to try this, it's one of my brand's drinks. It'll cool you down while also replenishing your health."

"Thanks." The skeleton took it and sipped it. "This is good!"

"It's Mettaton brand drink!" The celebrity turned to a far off camera. "Remember people! Even during a fight it's important to stay hydrated. If you drink this you can keep on fighting and get away from the worst of your enemies."

"Thanks for the advice!" Papyrus doubled his speed. "See you at the top."

"See, my good people. The drinks… Hold up a second!" The machine charged after the duo. "You can't get away that easily!"

 _Shoot him out of the sky!_ shouted the voice. Frisk fired upon the incoming machine. She grimaced when all of the shots bounce off. _Come on! This guy wants to harm us and that scientist wimped out. I need to kick her in the knee when we meet again._

Yet just as they got to the top of the elevator a spider web appeared around the corner. The skeleton bent backward. Frisk held on for dear life. With a yelp the robot plopped right into the web and stuck.

"What the?!" Pulling at the web, the Mettaton whined. "Where did all these come from? Let go of me at once!" Spiders swarmed the web. "Hey!"

Papryus collapsed at the top of the stairs. "Good grief." Stepping off of him, Frisk patted him on the head. "I'm okay. My body is just beat from all the running." With a nod the child looked down the platform. A blue humanoid wearing a yellow suit stared at a donut in hand in shock. Several pieces of pastry sat on a table.

"Mettaton is trapped down below." Frisk frowned. "Wasn't it odd for that web to be the right size?"

"Hey!" Stumbling to his feet, the skeleton offered a cocky grin. "I'm an important person. Maybe they came to help me."

 _This guy needs to wake up_ , stated the voice. _He's way too cocky._

 _Though he is fun to be around._

 _That's your opinion._

Grabbing the skeleton by the hand, Frisk tugged on it. "Let get going. I doubt that web will keep Mettaton in place."

"True."

The pair went through a rather easy puzzle involving arrows and pressurized steam. At some point they fell into a trap, but they found the place to be empty. Licking his paw, a white dog looked up from his business. Frisk swore that the dog frowned at her, but it hopped away.

Coming upon a building, the skeleton proclaimed his greatest in solving puzzles. Frisk nodded, but paused in the doorway. The pair studied the webs scattered throughout the place. Darkness hid the end of the rooms. Normally, Frisk would think little of the webs. She neither hated nor loved spiders. Yet a knot stuck in her stomach told her to find another way around.

"Come in," stated a soft, cheery voice. "You will not be harm."

Doing as told, Frisk glanced about. "Where are you?"

"Just keep walking."

Frisk stopped when the ground underneath her sucked at her feet.

"Don't worry." Picking Frisk up, the skeleton placed her on his shoulder. "I got you." Papyrus marched across the sticky floor. From her new angle the child saw that spider webs covered the ground.

"Hey!" Papyrus marched in place. "Is it just me or is it getting harder to move."

"No, you got spiders tying you into place."

Yelping, the skeleton swatted at his legs. His hand stuck to the webs.

"Silly human." A voice chuckled. "I don't want to do much harm."

A light flashed on. Sitting in a white chair, a girl who may be in her early teens grinned at Frisk. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Her black, insectoid eyes matched the grin with two long fangs. One set of arms poured pour a cup of spiders. The other set rested on the chair's limbs. She was dressed in a pink dress with white frill.

"Who are you?"

"A friend, but that only depends on your actions." Snapping her fingers, a light off to her right appeared.

"Howdy," said Flowey. "It's good to see that you got here. I hope that tin can hasn't been too rough with you."

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

 _What does that idiot think he's doing now?_ The voice grumbled to itself. Frisk had to agree with that. How the hell did the flower managed to get to her in the first place? _You want me to get green mode ready?_

Frisk nodded.

 _We could also use yellow mood. It's not strong enough to kill in one blow, but it should make that fool pause for thought._

"Flowery!" Papyrus waved his free hand. "Hey buddy! What are you doing here?"

Putting on a smile, the flower tilled his head. "I'm here to make sure that your quest keeps going smoothly." He gestured to the spider. "Our friend here is helping me out."

"Did you pay her off," growled the fallen child.

"Nope." Hopping on over, the spider child held out a note. "Do you remember this?"

"What's that?" Taking the note, Frisk blinked. It was a message from the spiders of the ruins. They praised Frisk of being a frequent customer and helping so much for the cause. Pulling a donut out, the girl stared at it. "Who thought a minor act would relate to this?" She wrinkled her nose. "But why did you trap us?"

"Frisk, we need you to restart everything." Flowery sighed upon getting a blank stare. "And I don't mean you reload and then come back. We need you to go back to the beginning by erasing everything."

"Why?" Frisk grabbed her head as pain pierced it. "No… I've come too far."

"You don't understand." Flowery pushed his leaves together. "Something is wrong with the world. Someone or something is changing it all."

 _No_ , stated the voice, _we restart now we will lose so much we have earned. It must be him. He is trying to keep us here forever._

 _What should we do?_

"Frisk," said Flowery, "How much do you remember of the past?"

"Wait a moment." The child glanced up. "You called me Frisk."

"So?"

"You never called me Frisk before." Holding her arms out, the child's eyes narrowed. Her soul glowed a bright yellow.

 _Hey_ , shouted the voice, _how did you do that?!_

"Who are you?!"

"No good!" Flowery summoned bullets around Frisk. "She can only remember fragments! We need to take her alive."

"No worry." Picking up a pair of teapots, Muffet grinned. "We can't lose this. Newt! Music please." A large spider crept over to a radio and pressed on it. Lights spring on to reveal a stage. Quick, ominous music started. Hundreds of spiders rushed out to do a synced dance. Dancing along, the spider girl made her way over to Frisk. "Now, why are you so blue?" Frisk stood to move, but yelped when Muffet poured a purple liquid on her.

The child felt something grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her upward. She glanced back to see a series of magic lines floating in the air. Her back was attached to it.

Flowery screamed as his bullets glued to the lines as well. "Damn it! Why are my attacks stuck onto lines?"

"It's just how things work." Smiling, the spider girl summoned pastry to her hands. Spiders appeared with stuff as well. "Now, just hold still."

Frisk yelped as a variety of missiles shot at her. Begging the voice to change her soul's color, she went up and down the lines. Donuts, ants, croissants, and bullets tried to strike her her. Many of them moving so fast that they tore right through the girl. The pastry were as hard as rock.

When there was a pause in the attacks the child panted. She glared at her attackers.

Papyrus struggled against his bondages. Yet the more he moved the more stuck he become. "Hold on Frisk! I just need a little bit more time."

"Give up, Frisk!" Flowery bowed his head. "If you keep going bad things are going to happen."

"Not happening."

Shaking her head, Muffet hummed. "She's one determined child, isn't she?" She whistled. "Cupcake. Time for diner."

"Who is Cupcake?" asked Flowery.

"She's hungry and if we want to stop the human we might as well make it permeate."

A growl came from under the child. She yanked her feet up as a cupcake with spider legs snapped at her feet. The lines fell downward toward the beast. The child grabbed hold of the upper line and climbed. Yet at the same time ants smothered the lines.

"Called that thing off!" shouted Flowery. "She can't die!"

"What are you talking about?" asked the spider woman. "I thought you wanted to stop the kid?"

"If she dies we'll-"

Frisk got a ways before a couple of ants bit her hands. Yelping, the child pulled her hands away. She fell into Cupcake's mouth and devoured whole.

. . .

 _After a while, Dad and Mom eventually dropped a bombshell on me. They wanted me to free the monsters from the underground. At first I was stun. Yes, I had an incredible power, but I never told them anything about it. Then they told me the story of how the humans forced the monsters underground. I already learned about the general history. Humans were afraid that monsters would absorb their souls. Not an entirely unjustified reasoning, for a number of monsters had done it in the past. It ended badly for everyone involved, but I was glad when the strong monsters overtook many humans. They deserved it._

 _The biggest issue the monsters had was that they were trapped in the underground by a barrier. Centuries ago seven powerful magicians had trapped the monsters in their current home. To get through the barrier they needed seven human souls. At least, that was until they made two main discoveries._

 _The first happened to be me. For a while now the monsters had an idea of how to get out, but they couldn't do it themselves. With their bodies made out of magic, monsters were less durable than humans. I soon learned why they needed me._

 _My parents took me to the royal labs to meet Mr. W.D Gaster. Gaster was an odd, lanky skeleton, who spent most of his time in working on an experiment. Unable to speak, he used his hands to talk. He needed my assistance in a project. The old man created the core several decades before my arrival. It was the object that powdered the entire underground, but that was its secondary objective. Its first objective was to break the barrier by collecting enough energy to do so. It would take time, but when it was ready, it could be of great use to breaking the barrier._

 _The only problem was directing that energy. The doctor had tried artificial means, but every cord or gun he used blew up on him. Through volunteers and other living things he learned that monster and animals could take in energy. Yet monsters could only take in so much energy before dying from a nervous system melt down._

 _This is where I came in. If I could take a large enough energy into my body, I could use it to destroy the barrier. My parents told me that I could choose to do it. It would be a dangerous thing. Yet I would not back down. The monsters had done so much for me. I cannot turn them down when they needed a hero._

 _So Gaster and I worked together for a while. We learned that I had an incredible ability to absorb energy. Yet it wasn't enough to use the amount we needed. The scientist assumed that my age and my inexperience hindered me. With enough time and patience we could do it._

 _Word of salvation spread. The monsters from all over the underground spoke of how great it would be to see the skies again. I'll be the first to admit that I missed the sun on my skin. The wind in my hair, but as I thought of what was to come, I feared that humans would harm monsters once more._

 _Even when I first met the monsters I was scared them. But I was just a scared, little girl- no real threat to anyone. Humans with assault rifles and tanks could tear them apart. I told this to Dad and he took note, but he seemed unconcern. I should had known he would brush me off. Not out of disbelief, but he was a gentle soul at heart. He would rather invite his worst enemy to dinner then attack them. In secret, I planned on the worse case situation._

 _Yet before any of this could take place a tragedy happened. A traitor among monsters sabotaged us. I started to learn for all their goods the monster could also be fools and idiots._

 _I started to hate that part of them._

. . .

Frisk sighed as she shot down the bombers again. Her mind went back to her last vision. So whoever had been bothering her was trying to help the monster get out of here. She wondered if the voice still wanted to help the monsters.

Yet before she could think more on it the web came and caught the celebrity. Papyrus said something and the child grunted in response. He collapsed once more onto the ground. Stepping off the skeleton, again, the child sat down and waited for her friend to catch his breath.

"Good grief." The skeleton sat up. "I feel like I'm doing this again. Am I?"

"I got eaten by a cupcake."

The skeleton tilted his head while frowning. "Cupcakes can't eat people. People eat cupcakes. How can you be killed be one?"

"Ask Muffet where she got it. You monsters got a rather interesting ecosystem."

"Eco what?"

"Ecosystem. It is everything that is the living and non-living interacting within an area."

"Oh? Like animals eating plants or rocks skipping off the ground."

"Pretty much."

"Hmm." Sitting up, the skeleton patted his kneecaps. "I guess we live in an odd world."

"Like how full grown trees can grew underground. How does that work?"

"Crystals turn magic into light," stated the skeleton as matter a fact.

"Then how does enough water get down to the trees? Hell, how is it possible for one section of the cave to be so cold, another one humid, and then another one filled with lava."

"That's…that's a good question." Cupping his chin, the skeleton hummed. "Now that I think of it, why do we have so much snow in Snowdin? We do have something of a weather system, but that should spread throughout the cave. It's… odd to say the least."

Shrugging, the skeleton stood. "No need to worry about it now."

Yet as Frisk went through the motion of getting to the spider girl, the child thought upon it all. Everything about this world seemed odd. She could understand the monsters and them living underground. Humans used magic, even today, but could magic still create everything down here? Then there was the biggest oddity of all- herself. If she could control time then someone else before her had much have done so. She could hardly be the first person with the ability of saving and loading. Yet the more she thought about her own world she came to a frightening realization. How much of her own history had been rewritten, and how many times?

"Hey Frisk!" Papyrus knocked the child's head. "What are you doing? You seemed to be in deep thought."

"Sorry! I was just thinking about something. Oh, Papyrus, do you know where I can find chocolate around here?"

"There is probably some in New Home. Why?"

"I want some answers and I know someone who might give me it if they are willing to take a trade."

 _Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!_ chanted the voice.

Stepping into the large space, Frisk glared into the darkness. "Flowery, can you please try not to kill me this time."

"Damn it!" The lights flickered on to show an enraged Flowery. "I knew you spiders are unreliable."

"Hey!" shouted the spider girl. "We have them where we wanted! They can't get out without crossing this way."

 _Hey Frisk_ , said the voice, _want to try out a new mode?_

 _Sure!_

 _Purple mood, on!_

Frisk yelped as her body zipped upward. She just grabbed hold of the skeleton as before he got out of reach.

"Since when can she do that?!" shouted Muffet.

"Don't just stand there!" Flowery's face morphed into a terrible expression. "Take them alive!"

"Aw!" screamed the skeleton. Thousands of spiders stepped onto one of another to make giant piles. "Frisk!" With a nod the child glanced upward. A thought summoned many more lines. Leaping up to the next line, Frisk zoomed forward. "They are climbing up!"

The child glanced back to see spiders, pastries, and pellets darting her way.

 _Hey voice,_ thought Frisk. _Is it possible at all to get my guns out?_

 _No._ The voice groaned. _We can only take on one soul at the time. If we try to change now we are going to crash into the ground._ A howled echoed. _Looks like crashing now would be a bad idea._

Frisk glanced down to see the cupcake spider chasing after them. It tried to hop onto the line, but the child do away with those near the ground. "We're nearing the exit!" declared Frisk.

"Oh hell no!" Appearing in front of the door, the flower summoned vines to cover the exit. "You're not getting through that easily."

The child summoned another set of lines. She hopped over to it and dodged a series of lashing vines. The spider girl hopped onto the lines and swung into the path.

"Dearie." Snapping her fingers, Muffet broke a line. With a shout the duo dove for the earth. "It's time that you come to a stop."

 _Not good!_ thought Frisk. _Not good!_

Running underneath them, the cupcake got into position. Its mouth cranked open in order to catch. Frisk thought they needed a shield, but then spotted all of the spiders rushing to join the pet. They were going to be captured.

"Don't worry human!" Papyrus flicked his wrist and his legs came to a stop in front of the mouth. Baffled, Cupcake leapt to snap at the leg. The skeleton sent the child and himself flying through the air. Her heart glowed a dark blue. "I, the great Papyrus, will get us out of here!" The girl screamed as she zigzagged across the room and slammed into the roof. Cringing, the skeleton chuckled. "Sorry! I'm still getting the hang of this."

 _Can I shoot him_ , asked the voice.

 _After we get out of here._

 _I thought you were forgiving._

 _Forgiveness is one thing. Ignoring a problem is another entirely._

 _Agreed._

Frisk's face peeled off the roof and she dropped toward the ground.

"I got a plan!" Climbing onto the child's back, the skeleton sat up and looped his legs around her midsection. One hand held up to keep his magic going. The other started summoning bones and juggled them.

"What are you guys doing?!" shouted Flowery.

"That's what I would like to know!" shouted Frisk.

"Almost done." The top half of a skull landed of Frisk's head. Glancing up, the kid stared as the skeleton lowered a lance made out femurs, radius, and spine bones tucked under an arm. Papyrus also placed a metal cap on his head. "Onward, my steed."

"I'm a girl."

"Mare! We shall run right through the enemy!"

"Cool!"

 _Okay, I got to admit this is going to be awesome._

"Stop!" Flowery waved his pedals. "You guys don't understand. If you keep going you'll-" Yelping, the flower disappeared into the ground as the skeleton rammed his lance into the vines. They stretched and groaned as they pushed out.

"Just a little more!" shouted Frisk.

"I'm doing that!" shouted the skeleton.

"Get them!" shouted spider girl.

Frisk gulped as the spider armies led by Cupcake charged them. "Hurry up!"

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" With a final shout the vines tore. Soaring through the air, the pair reached the end of the platform. "Sir Papyrus will not to be stop. All shall know that I, Papyrus, helped the human on her quest. We shall make it to the barrier, get you home and-"

"We just missed our elevator."

"What?"

"The elevator." Frisk pointed to the subject disappearing out of view. "We just missed our ride."

"Oopsies!" The skeleton feigned an innocent expression. "Looks like even I can get caught up in the moment of glory." Turning Frisk around, they headed for the elevator. "Anyhow, all we have to do is get in and go up. I'm sure the spiders and the flower will be good sports and let us get away."

"GET THAT CHILD!" screamed an unknown voice.

Just as the elevator came into view spiders swarmed out of the door. Vines followed right after them. Eyes shooting out of his skull, Papyrus charged for the elevator.

Frisk phone ringed and she pulled it out.

"Give me a second to help you!" shouted Alphys. The spiders paused as several barriers came out of the floor and formed several beams. Two of them blue while the middle one a bright orange. The spiders and vines halted. "That should be able to hold them off long enough."

"Oh no you don't!" Muffet rode a tides of spiders. "I won't let you get away. The spider clan will be reunited!"

"F-" was all that came from the phone. The child blinked when it started to vibrate. Pulling it away, she stared at the odd texts that came across the screen.

 _Mind if I help?_

The platform which the spiders stood upon trembled before pulling away from the elevator. Yelping, the spider girl shot a web out of her hand and it stuck to the retreating flooring. Spiders fled back in the room. Their only other option was dropping into the lava.

With a ding the elevator opened. Dropping his lance, the skeleton directed them into the ride. They crashed landed, but the elevator closed shot behind them before they bounced out.

Panting, the skeleton grinned. "Well… We made it. Are you alright?"

Sitting up, Frisk grabbed her nose. "You keep on bashing me into stuff." Tears well up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Hugging the child, the skeleton hold her tight. "I needed to get us out there. I'm so sorry for any damage. Hey! I heard that the nice cream guy is nearby. We could buy some ice cream before we go on. Does that sound good?"

Sniffing, the girl nodded. "Please stop hitting me against stuff. I can restart, but it still can feel pain."

"Hey! If you like you can hit me." Kneeling, the skeleton grabbed his head. "Right in the cheek I can take it."

Chuckling, the child patted the skeleton on the head. "I know you meant little harm. Just be a little more careful. Okay?"

"Yes sir!"

The phone ring. Answering it, Frisk smiled. "Hello?"

"Are you okay?" asked Alphys. "We saw everything on the video. You took quite a beating."

"Hey brother!" shouted Sans. "I know that the Frisk can come back, but be a little gentler there. She's just a kid."

"I know that." The younger skeleton frowned at the phone. "Forgive me for doing my best."

"You did well, Papyrus," said Undyne. "Not a lot of people would have thought that fast."

"Next time, can we please try to avoid using me as a horse?" Frisk rubbed her back. "Papyrus's butt is bony and I hate being manhandled."

"From where you're going it should be a straight shot to the core," said San. "I'm meeting you there to make sure that you're alright." Frisk would have asked how, but she kept her silence. A part of her had a feeling how he was doing it. "Take care now. Mettaton managed to get away from the web. There is little doubt that he'll be meeting you before you get to the elevator."

"No surprise there."

"Hey Frisk, we had several more abnormalities in the time line." The scientist hummed. "Things are getting interesting."

"How so?"

"There appears to be a third person who now messing with the timeline. I'm going to try to track it down and figure out who it is. It could be the same person who messed with the elevator earlier."

"Is it possible that Gaster doing it?"

"That isn't possible." San's voice froze. "He's dead. That much is certain."

 _He's a scary man_ , stated the voice, _for all his act he's the most dangerous person around._

 _I'm starting to think you have a point._

"You should be getting to the hotel," said Alphys. "I'll go look up this W. D. Gaster guy. All we know is that he disappeared." Frisk yawned. "You sound tired."

"My life is endangered and I'm running all the time." Frisk blinked sleep out of her eyes. "I could use some rest."

"The hotel should have a room open for you. Go get some rest. I doubt even Mettaton would attack a kid in her sleep."

Closing the phone, the duo entered the hotel. The wide lounge appeared nice enough. Frisk liked the fountain with a statue of Mettaton spitting water. Whoever designed it misaimed the shooting water so that it stained the red carpet around the fountain. A humanoid with a hand for his head allowed the pair to check in. Papyrus was hungry and went to get something to eat.

Frisk went to her room and fell into her bed. Sleep dragged her into the second world.

. . .

 _Hyped for monsters' freedom built over several months. It brought a smile to my face each time someone came over to me and wished me the best of luck. Even Asriel started to beg me to tell him everything about the surface world. I told him what I could, but even then I had my doubt about a human and monster reunion._

 _During this time, I went to Gaster for more experiments. There was little improvement. As mentioned earlier, I needed to mature before I could be of use. Yet the more accustomed I got to placing energy into my soul, the easier it would be later on._

 _My parents dropped me off. Asriel was part of some snail racing club and Mom and Dad wanted to cheer him on. Gaster was a good enough friend and no monster would have attacked me. When I got to the true labs doors I knew something was wrong. Gaster always met me at the elevator and chatted -in his own way- about current events. The elevator door was wide open and the elevator missing._

 _In the first time in a while I used my save ability. I summoned the elevator and went downstairs. Just as I stepped off I heard angered shouting. It sure as hell wasn't Gaster. At first I stayed in my place too scared to approach. Then the sound of crashing reached me. Being a stupid kid, I rushed over to the main labs. Just as I entered the lab a bright light blinded me._

 _When the light clear there was a scorch marks on the ground. Notes were burning and objects had been knocked to the ground. I called out for Gaster but no one came. I called my parents at once and the royal guard rushed over. They did what they could, but the only thing they could learn was that Gaster fought with someone and then disappeared. His attacker went with him._

 _Not willing to accept that, I went back in time again. This time I sprinted for the main labs. I got there in time to see the enraged Gaster assaulting another skeleton. Fire spread through the room as they knocked thing about. I shouted for them to stop, but grappling one another it become obvious they were fighting to the death._

 _The shorter of the two managed to throw Gaster off and into what looked like an empty door frame. Gastar's eyes showed his shock as the device exploded into his light. The other skeleton was engulfed in it and they both disappeared. Stunned by what happened, I stared at the scorch mark for a while. Memories of my father rushed back to me. I wasn't close to Gaster, but he had treated me well. I was determined to save him._

 _I failed. I tried tackling, shouting, kicking, banging, and so many other types of things. Yet no matter what I did Gaster always fell into the door and the other skeleton followed. The only thing I learned was that the other skeleton's flashed yellow and blue in angry._

 _There was nothing anybody could do. People searched for Gaster all over the underground, but he never showed up. With only my vague description, the royal guard could do so little. There were a number of skeletons and their eyes flashing blue and yellow wasn't uncommon._

 _The worse blow came when we learned that Gaster's life work was destroyed. Whoever Gaster fought made sure his theories on energy conversation was destroyed. The main scheme for the core survived so keeping it maintained and building a new one would be easy. Only I knew how he managed to transfer energy from one place to the other. I did my best to explain the how, but I was a child. It proved too hard for my reach._

 _And just like that the monsters' hope was crushed once more. The personal worse was seeing my brother's sorrowful expression. I told him so much about the stars and the moon that he had wanted to see them. I hated that look._

 _That day, I became determined to free the underground._

. . .

Sitting up, Frisk cried. The sorrow that struck her in her sleep overwhelmed her. How many times have the monsters tried and then failed to earn their freedom? How many times had she given it to them and taken it away?

"I'm tired," stated Frisk.

 _Agreed._ The voice sniffed. _Why do we have to suffer?_

Smoothing out her clothing, Frisk went into the dining room and found Papyrus nagging Sans. "I keep telling you that a seven hour nap should be enough rest." The younger skeleton scooped up his noodles and cheese. "Why are you so low on energy?"

"I guess I'm just worn to the bone." The elder brother laughed while the younger groaned. Frisk stared at Sans for a long while. "Hey Frisk." Sans waved at the kid. "What's with that look? Aren't you going to come and sit down?" The skeleton picked up a bottle of ketchup and drunk it.

Frisk nodded and did as told. As she sat down the child saw Asriel sitting in front of her. Toriel and the king sat to their side. A depressing silence fell upon them.

"Come on guys," said the king. "I know it looks bad now, but we still have time. Chara, you're still young." The king offered her a kind smile. "When we get home we can have a chocolate cake." Frisk nodded, but she didn't speak.

"Child." Toriel soothed as she patted Frisk's arm. "You done everything you can."

"Asriel, can you please come with me."

"Okay." Putting his fork down, the goat boat followed Frisk out into a back alley. "What up?"

"Do you remember our little talk?" Frisk offered a smile. "The one where if we had no other choice we could do that."

Arsiel's eyes widened. "We can't! It's too dangerous!"

"Arsiel. What choose do we have?" Frisk pointed to the ceiling. "You said it yourself. I'm the first human in ages who came here. What are the chances that one, must less six more, are going to fall in? What are the chances that I will even be alive by then?!"

"Don't talk like that!"

"What are the chances that Dad or Mom are going to be alive? Hell, what are your chances of not living for hundreds of years down here?" Turning around, Frisk kicked a trash can. "No! I won't allow that! I won't let you stay down here for all of eternity!"

"Chara…"

"I will do it!"

"Frisk!" Sans shook her shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"Is she alright?" asked a voice.

"Yeah, is she?" asked another.

Frisk turned to a dragon and cat who had a lot of trash on them.

 _Betty and Catty_ , noted the voice.

"I'm fine." Frisk covered her eyes and took a deep breath. "Just… things have been hard on me as of late. Do you guys sell stuff?"

"Yep." Catty dragged a bag forward.

"Plenty," stated Betty.

"Frisk," said the skeleton.

Looking down in the bag, Frisk searched through it. "What's that?" She pointed to a key.

"Oh?!" Catty picked it up. "It's some key we found in the dump. For just fifty pieces you can have it."

Something told Frisk to buy it and she did. Sans watched this all with a keen eye. The two ladies then started to flirt with the skeleton.

"Sorry girls." Offering a smile, Sans pointed to his chest. "There nothing her but an empty captivity and I got no bones to please you with." He grabbed hold of the child's arm. "Let go back inside. Papyrus is worry about you."

Tucking the key into her pocket, Frisk just got into the door when the taller skeleton tackled her. "Hey!"

"Are you alright?!" The skeleton offered her a tearful face. "You started acting weird and I thought that I might have broken you."

"I'm fine!" Frisk chuckled. "I'm just a little shaken, that's all."

"Oh." Peeling himself off, the taller skeleton huffed. "Well… it's good to see that you are alright. I was right to consider that your body is sturdy."

"Should we go to the city?" Sans looked to the broken elevator. A group of people stood around it and waited for it to be fix. "Too bad we can't just take the easy way."

"Yeah." Frisk nodded.

 _Don't forget to save_ , the voice reminded.

Frisk glanced to her side to see a star. "I'll go do that." Once she did so Frisk headed for the door. The skeleton followed her. "Are you sure that you guys want to come with me. What about Alphys and Undyne?"

"They are on standby," the older skeleton informed her. "If we need them, we can call them."

Feeling a bit more determined with the skeletons at her side, Frisk exited the hotel through a back door. She stopped when a white dog laid on a short bridge. It offered her a smile.

"You shall not pass!" The white dog launched forward and exploded.


	10. Chapter 10

Enjoy the read.

* * *

Chapter Ten

Frisk was glad she didn't have a vision each time she was blown up. Somewhere around the tenth time she gave a frustrated growl and sat down at a table. Of course, the skeleton brothers asked what was wrong. For the tenth time she explained to them what happened. No, they couldn't have the skeletons go first and move the dog. If the dog moved at all it blew up. If it saw Frisk it blew up. If it thought it was being tricked it blew up. It even blew up when fed chocolate. As one can imagine, Frisk wanted to strangle the annoying dog.

"That's one determined dog." Sans sat down beside Frisk. "Should we call Alphys?"

"Might as well." Frisk pulled out her phone and called the scientist. "Hello."

"Frisk! Are you alright?" A series of beeps came from the other side of the phone. "According to Sans's device you had been going back in time in rapid succession."

"An exploding dog is keeping me from advancing."

"A what?" Undyne snatched the phone from the protesting scientist. "Can I see?"

"No. If I tried to get near it the annoying dog it blows up the bridge. Is there any other way around it?"

"Give me that." The scientist coughed into the phone. "Afraid not. I got the dog on view. Yeah… you're not getting pass it."

"Please tell me something of use. I'm not in the mood for there to be no other way."

"There isn't. I looked through the map of the area and there is only two ways forward. One of them is broken and the other is guarded by that dog."

Frisk groaned. "Please tell me there's a way around the dog."

"My best guess is that you have to put it to sleep."

"I don't want to kill it!"

"I meant knocking it out. If you can put it asleep you can walk around it or defuse the bomb. Either way, you should be able to get by it."

Frisk pulled food out of her pocket. "Sans, Papyrus, see what the dog will eat."

"Yes ma'am." Grabbing the food, Papyrus went to feed the dog. The skeleton brothers returned fifteen minutes with food in hand. "Sorry, but we failed."

"Why?"

"The dog stated that it is a picky eater and will only eat a red, round orb." Sans shrugged at the stare. "Hey, I never said that it was a good demand."

"Alphys, where can I find a red, round orb?"

"I'll have to look around a bit."

"Finally!" shouted Undyne. "Let's get out of here."

"You guys should stay put," said Alphys. "I'll call back as soon as possible."

"Well…" Tucking his hands into his pockets, Sans sighed. "Looks like we're stuck here for a while. Who wants to get something to eat?

Everyone raised their hands. They waved down a waiter and he gave them menus. Frisk looked through her. The voice started to hum.

 _Do you want to pick something?_ asked Frisk.

 _You would let me order?_ The voice sounded as if Frisk handed over a car plus keys.

 _Sure. We're sharing bodies. Pick whatever you want._

 _Thanks! I would like the salmon with mashed potatoes!_

Ordering that item, Frisk sat back to listen to the brothers chatting. Papyrus was telling his recent adventures with the child to his brother. He exaggerated a bit when he talked about Mettaton shooting laser beams and Flowery being a twenty feet tall monster. Yet Frisk and Sans allowed him to talk. They only stopped him to clear up a point.

Munching on her meal, Frisk hummed in pleasure. _This is good._

 _Of course it is!_ The voice sounded proud. _I have great taste._

 _Hey voice, do you happen to be Chara?_ Silence answered the child. _All the dreams and visions are about you and I don't know who else it could be._

 _It took you long enough to call me out._ _Chara sighed._

 _Do you want to help the monster get out of the underground?_

 _You can say that… The problem is our masters._

 _The person who used children as toys._

 _That's the one._

Frisk glanced about.

 _You can't see them. They are invisible, but I know they are there. To beat them we've to work together._

 _Sure._

 _Really?_

 _We're friends aren't we?_

For a long moment Chara remained silent. _You want to be my friend?_

 _I would have to disagree on your methods at times, but you helped me more than once. If we can just work more like partners and stop stealing my body we can do great things._

 _Sounds like a plan. Care to shake hands, partner?_

Grabbing her hands, Frisk shook it. _Sure thing._

"Hey Frisk." Sans poked the child's arm. "Are you still there?"

"Sorry." Blinking, the child stretched her arms. "I was just in my own world."

"Understandable. Is there anything you want to do while we're here? There's not much, but…"

"How about joining a game show!"

The table erupted upward. Yelping, Frisk tumbled out of her chair. Sans teleported away as a rope tried to grab him. His brother proved too slow and the rope snared him.

"Hey!" Papyrus struggled as he was lifted in the air.

 _Damn robot!_ Chara growled. _Doesn't he know when to quit?!_

As Papyrus reached the roof the floor pulled apart. A stage popped out. Standing on it, Mettaton whirled around. His screen flashed a heart.

"Greeting, loyal fans! Mettaton is here." Snapping his fingers, the robot summoned a couple of robots who held out the name of the game. "Welcome to the new game show called Wheel of Misfortune." He reached into his body and pulled out a round sign standing on top of three legs. Divided into many triangles, the board contained many horrible deaths. One triangle said strangulation, another acid, and being torn alive was another option.

"Mettaton!" Sans shouted from the stage. "What are you doing?!"

"Doing your job, lazy bones!" Mettaton pointed to the floor. "Take one more step and I'll drop your brother into the pot of acid."

"What do you want?" asked Frisk.

"For you to play a game." Mettaton jabbed a finger at the wall. "All you have to do is spin the board. You will then be taken to an area with the main threat to your life. If you manage to get out, you will get an award."

"Will you free Papyrus?"

"If you want."

Frisk glanced to Sans who shrugged. Taking a deep breath, Frisk hopped onto stage.

 _Don't worry,_ said Chara, _I got your back._

"So I just spin the wheel?" asked Frisk. Metatton's screen turned into a thumbs up. Grabbing the wheel, Frisk spun it as fast as she could. She watched the letters and tried to decide which one would be best out of the worst. Then she spotted an odd phase. What did it say? The wheel came to a stop on that odd phase.

"Get dunked on!" Meatton and his robots clapped their hands. "What a wonderful choice?"

"Oh no." San's eyes disappeared.

"What?" asked Frisk. "Is that bad?"

 _Run!_ shouted Chara. _Run until you can't run anymore!_

"Why?!"

A gray door appeared in the air. Sans in a red scarf opened it and hopped on out. Blinking in confusion, Frisk glanced between the Sans on the floor and the scarfed Sans. She offered the doppelganger a smile.

"Hey there!" Frisk tried to advance toward the new Sans, but her feet stayed in place.

 _Seriously Frisk!_ Chara started to sound panicked. _Interact with that Sans and you're going to be hurt. Badly!_

"So the door actually worked." Looking around, Scarfed Sans hummed. "I see myself standing in confusion, Mettaton looking fabulous as ever, my favorite comedian…" His keen eyes stayed on the suspended Papyrus before landing on Frisk. "And a child who appears to be frozen in fear. What's wrong? Have you seen a ghost?"

"Look at this folks!" Darting over to the new Sans, Mettaton held his hand to him. "We got a new contender ready to play!"

"No, I see another Sans." Frisk studied the scarf for a bit. It looked familiar somehow.

"No surprise there." Hopping down onto the floor, Scarfed Sans hummed. "It's rather nice around here, isn't it?"

On her own will Frisk marched backward as Scarfed Sans advanced. She felt a tense air coming off of the skeleton. His eyeballs disappearing in his sockets offered little comfort. Normal Sans darted in front of Frisk. Stretching his arms out, he stared his doppelganger down.

"Is there a reason you're here." Sans pointed to himself. "Or did you just want to meet a handsome follow."

"Oh great," said Papyrus. "One Sans is hard enough."

"That's sounds nice." Raising his fingers, Scarfed Sans hummed. "Yet I have a crisis to divert." He snapped his fingers and normal Sans disappeared. "Tell me, kid. Have you enjoyed your little vacation?"

"Um… I guess."

"That's too bad."

Both Chara and her body shouted for Frisk to move. Leaping back, she narrowly avoid being pieced by a dozen bones jagging out of the ground. Just before she landed Sans thrust his hand forward. Frisk's heart glowed a dark blue.

Sans' eyes started to flash. "Maybe you're in the wrong place. I heard that hell is perfect this time of year." Frisk screamed as she flew across the room and slammed into a wall. A loud cracked filled the room.

"Oh my!" The celebrity held his hands to his screen. "Looks like Sans is not joking around today!"

"Sans!" Papyrus struggled against his ropes. "What are you doing?! You're hurting the human."

"Quiet, Papyrus." Sans lowered his head. "I'm doing what is best for this world."

Peeling herself off the ground, Frisk yelped as a bone slammed into her right arm and embedded. Tears dammed in her eyelids. She looked at scarfed Sans. She asked why he was hurting her, yet his cold stare spoke of a person who stared down a monster.

"You already wrecked my world." Sans summoned dozens of bones around him. "I won't let you hurt anyone else. I'll keep you here for the rest of eternity."

 _Damn it, Frisk!_ shouted Chara. _He's going to kill you!_

Just as the bones launched, Frisk fled the room. Monsters shouted in surprise as bones plowed into the wall. Frisk yelped when scarfed Sans appeared in front of her. Weaving around him, she avoided a bunch of bones thrusting out of his chest.

 _Why does he hate me?!_

 _Because someone stole your body and forced you to kill all the monsters._ Chara huffed. _He thinks that you did it._

 _You're lying._ Frisk yelped as blue bones assaulted her. Only barely did she stop in time to avoid being hit.

 _Believe what you want, but Sans isn't in the mood to talk._

Getting outside of the hotel, Frisk grabbed hold of the embedded bone and yanked it out. A whimper escaped her as blood flowed form her arm.

 _Give me a moment to heal it._

Frisk's soul turned green and she felt the wound heal.

"Too slow."

Frisk yelped as many large bones shot out of the ground. Launched into the air, she whirled around until she felt something grabbed her heart. Scarf Sans stared at Frisk for a moment. The child tried to hold in the tears, but terror squeezed them out of her.

"You honestly think you can trick me with that." Sans threw his hand down and Frisk dropped toward bones shooting out of the ground. Time slowed down. As she drew near the bones imagines of her being pierced by them over and over again flooded her mind.

 _I don't want to die a hundred times!_ thought Frisk.

 _Care if I take control for a bit?_ Chara hummed. _It has been a little while, but I remember our fight with Sans. If you take control of soul modes, I could focus on keeping us alive._

 _You won't hurt Sans._

 _I won't make promises, but… Let's survive this first, partner._

 _Alright, partner. Here goes nothing._

Sans blinked when Frisk's heart turned a dark green. A shield sprung in front of her. Landing on it, the child soon switched back to a normal heart and flipped onto the top of a bone. Sans blinked and a bovine like skull with a pair of eyes appeared.

"Cute," said Sans. The cow skull fired a laser beam. The skeleton blinked upon seeing the child summon a purple cord to her feet and pulled her away from the beam. "What!?"

"Looks like things are heating up!" Leaning out a window, Mettaton clapped his hands. "Frisk has finally recover from shock."

"Sorry, bonehead!" Detaching the line from her feet, the fallen child stuck her arms out. "Guns, now!"

 _On it!_ Frisk summoned the yellow heart.

Just in time for an angered Sans to summon hundreds of bones at her. They fired forward. Their pattern seemed irregular, yet Chara laughed as she weaved through the attacks. Her guns blazed and shot down the incoming bones.

The skeleton growled. "How!? The timelines should have-"

Appearing in front of the skeleton, Chara offered a sweet smile. Her red eyes gleamed with mischievous. "Sorry, but reality have changed." She grabbed for the skeleton, but he disappeared. A Gaster blaster hid behind Sans. "I hate that skeleton."

 _Green mode!_ shouted Frisk.

Just in time the shield appeared, but it cracked when the beams hit. Sliding back, Chara growled as she glanced upward. Sans floated overhead. A rain of bones fell to the earth.

"How the hell did you fight him last time?!" Once the laser stopped Chara summoned a purple lines. They swung away from her in large loops. Their ends connected to her fingers.

 _I don't know! I don't remember anything._

Huffing, Chara lashed her arms out. The purple lines reached up, caught the bones, and forced them to orbit around the child. For a brief moment the fallen child thought of throwing them back. Yet Frisk pressed on the back of her mind. She might as well be looking over Chara's shoulder.

"You do know that sparing this Sans will be next to impossible?" Flicking her fingers, Chara embedded the bones into the earth. "And I won't let him kill us. He may think that his mission is critical, but we need to get to the end." She drew out the plastic knife, stepped the side and sliced through a bone going for her back. "I didn't fight Sans, but the monster forced you to fight him so much that I remember every move."

Glaring the skeleton down, Chara gave an innocent grin. "So tell me Sans, how is it to see your brother again. It must be nice." Beams fired down on the fallen child. Using strings, Chara traveled to the air. She tried to get close to Sans and Frisk kept telling her not to harm him. Yet Chara's heart changed to yellow and shot down the blasters.

Frisk heard a soft popping sound from behind. _Behind you!_

Spinning around, Chara sliced her knife and knocked away several striking bones. Her heart turned purple as more blasters surrounded her. They fired, but Chara attached a string to a blaster. She then used her weight to swing it around. The blaster spun around and knocked out it kin.

"Hey!" Placing a hand to his screen, Mettaton bowed backward to avoid behind hit by the beam. "Those two are going to wreak the hotel at this rate. It needs to be remodeled, but still! Think of the people staying here."

"Shut up!" Hopping on the blaster, Chara enshrouded it with strings. "Sans. I'll give you one chance, right now. Surrender or face our fury."

"Our?" Sans hummed. "But I see only one of you."

 _I guess I'm invisible now._ Frisk sighed. _It kind of hurts to be unnoticed._

 _Welcome to my world for the past decades._

"Kid, I'll be the first to admit that you changed." Sans bowed his head. "Before you gave up, you were little more than a walking shell. A being who seemed to kill just for the hell of it." Spreading his arms out, Sans shrugged. "By the look, you hadn't even harmed anyone in this world. Hell, you are refuse to hurt me. Call me impress, but I want only one answer." His eyes disappeared as he stared Chara's right in the face. "Do you plan on going through all this just to kill everyone again?"

"No…" Chara giggled. "Well, that isn't one hundred percent true. Like you, there is only one person that I think deserve to suffer. I bet you understand that feeling."

"So you're not a monster?"

 _Chara…_

"You're so high and mighty in calling me a monster, a child to burn in hell. What about you?" Chara chuckled darkly. "While poor Frisk was forced to kill every last monster in the underground, you stood by. Even after she killed your brother, you just watched her wreck the world." Sans's smile became more tensed. "You let her kill your friends, your families, and your people. Only when she threatened the timeline, when she was at her strongest, did you intervene. Who is the true brother killer here?"

"Kid…" Sans snapped his finger and the area behind him filled with dozens upon dozens of blasters. "You are going to pay for that."

Mettaton had to pull away from the window from the brightness of the attack. "Oh my god! Sans has released hell fire on the human. Can she even make it out of that?" It took a full minute for the light to clear. The celebrity leaned out of the window and stared at the deep hole blasted into the cavern. "Um… Did he drill right through the mountain? Wow. I never knew just a powerful monster existed."

"Where is she?" asked Sans.

"Pardon."

Panting, the skeleton dispelled his blasters. "We are still here. That blast should had killed her. Where is she?" He held out his as he stepped forward. He checked the windows and spotted scarfless Sans leaning on the window. "You didn't dare."

"Buddy, I get it that gal is a bit bi-polar, but we did make a promise." Waving a hand, scarfless Sans hummed. "Now, are you ready to be dunk on?"

"Where did you send them?"

"Over here." Yanking a window open, Chara lunged out. Her arms lashed out and stuck purple lines onto Scarf Sans. He teleported away, but the fallen child laughed when she travele with him if several feet away.

"Hey!" Sans summoned a blaster. "Nobody likes a clingy relationship." Yet Chara danced out of the range of the blast. If it had moved, it would have blasted San. The skeleton teleported about. Frisk felt each time when they would teleport, as if they could vanish from existence. For briefs moment they flew through an empty realm conquered by darkness.

Yet Chara refused to let go of Sans. Bones, blasters, and gravity tried to throw her off, but she kept going around the skeleton with purple strings. Hopping over an attack, she grabbed San hood and yanked it over his face. Purple lines kept him from getting it up. With a shout Chara yanked on the strings. Dropping to the ground, the cocooned San remained silent as Chara readied her blade. Her breathing became heavy.

"How many times did you kill Frisk?" Chara kneeled down. "I know it was between eighty and a hundred. I will tell you now that every time hurt. It hurt like hell."

 _Chara._ Frisk imagined herself hugging her friend. _Can I take control now? He's not the one you're angry with._

 _The knife hovered over Sans's head. For a brief moment the fallen child's eyes turned black._ "You're right." Taking a deep breath, Chara put the knife away. "See if you can get him to stop attacking us." She closed her eyes.

When Frisk opened her eyes they returned to a calming brown. "Hey Sans." Kneeling, Frisk pulled him up and hugged him. "I'm sorry." The scarfed San held his thoughts. "I know my words are meaningless, but I don't know what else to say. So I'm sorry. I'm sorry for pain that I brought and I don't remember. I'm sorry that we're forced to go through this over and over again." Frisk grabbed the scarf and tears threatened to spill from her. "I can't change the past, but I might be able to change the future. I going to break us free from this cycle. Even if it means I'm going to get hurt. Please… just gave me a chance."

"Good grief." Sans sighed. "So this what it has come down to? I'm desperate enough to trust in a person who could at any moment turn into a murderer. Yet, it would be nice if this would all stop." Glancing to this timeline Sans, Scarf Sans shook his head. "Besides, it not my place to decide how things will turn out here. My only request is that you keep that promise. Make this world a better place. I hate to admit it, but your friend is right." Bowing his head, Sans chuckled. "I let the people I cared for die when I should have known better. Could you please release me?"

Without a second thought Frisk did as told.

Standing, Sans moved his hands. "I could kill you where you stand."

"I know." Frisk smiled. "But I like to think you're a better person than that."

"I'm going home." Waving a hand, Scarf Sans summoned a gray door. "And to the numbskull staring at me you better get off your lazy tail bone. We need to keep our family safe." Entering the door, he closed it behind him and it disappeared from this world.

Marching back into the hotel, Frisk glared at Mettaton. He had reclaimed his place on the stage. He and the other robots clapped their hands.

"Well done, Frisk." The celebrity swung his hand at Papyrus. "You did well to get here."

"Can you stop with the drama and just give me my friend back?"

"Not yet." Mettaton gestured to his right. "I'm giving you a choice."

"What would I want more than my friend?" Frisk fell silent as a small, round table rose out of the ground. A golden, heart-shaped locket laid upon a pillow.

 _That's my locket!_ stated Chara. _Where did he get it?!_

Taking the locket away, Mettaton carried it over to the pot. "It's simply, really. Either you get the locket or you get the skeleton. Whatever you don't get is dropped in the acid. It is destroyed and is gone forever."

"Give her a break." Papyrus shook his head. "Do you honestly think that Frisk would be so shallow as to pick a piece of jewelry over a good friend?" Yet Frisk stared the locket for a while. "Frisk?"

 _Mettaton is going to destroy it._ Chara started to sniff. _But… that was the only thing I have left of Asriel. It has a picture of us in it. He gave it to me for a birthday present. We were supposed to be best friends forever. Papyrus is annoying, but he doesn't deserve to get hurt. But... I don't want to lose my brother again._

Everyone in the room grew rigid when Frisk started to cry. "You… you would destroy a gift of a brother. You would kill not just a person, but the memories of one." Placing her face into her hands, Frisk wept. "Mettaton! You're a jerk!" The celebrity stood frozen. He came back to life when one of the monsters threw a can at his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" shouted a monster. "She's just a kid!"

"Yeah! Why are you torturing her?!"

"Is this is what you want our children to act like?!"

"Hold on now." Mettaton started to back off. "People. We need to remember that this human-"

"Give her the necklace and my brother back." Sans appeared behind Mettaton. "If you don't hurry something bad might happen to you."

Mettaton chuckled. "Okay! I might have overstepped my boundaries." Going over to Frisk, the celebrity handed the necklace over. "Here you go! And look." He snapped his fingers and the pot disappeared into the ground. "No more problems."

Taking the necklace, Frisk opened it up and stared at the picture of Chara and Arsiel hanging together. Two kids held flowers in hand. They seemed to be happy, but a fresh wave of sorrow came from Chara.

 _Why?_ said Chara. _Why does my life have to be so terrible?_

The fallen child had all the tears to shed, but no eyes to do so. Taking the sorrow from Chara, Frisk wept for her. She wept for the pain she suffered and for the pain other had taken onto them. This cycle had to end. She needed to break it.

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	11. Chapter 11

Enjoy the read.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

"We found it," declared Alphys.

"In the waterfall," said Undyne. "When I was younger there were rumors that someone could find a red sphere if you could play the right music. That's how you can get it."

"The music box!" Sitting down at a table, Frisk had managed to collect herself after a few hugs from the skeletons. She twisted the heart necklace in her hand. Placed around her neck the chain felt almost heavy. Memories of an old statue flashed in her head. Chara and Arsiel played around it. "I know where to go!"

"You do?!" said everyone else.

"Do you think that dog will move at all?" Frisk glanced over her shoulder as if to see if the dog stood in the dining area.

"I'll keep an eye on it," said Alphys. "You guys go find that orb."

"Sans," said Frisk, "Can you take us on your shortcut?"

"I can." Sans stretched his arms. "But only to the labs."

"Take me there now!"

"Good," said Papyrus, "I like to exercise, but all this running around is making me tired." With that said they left the hotel.

Walking right into the lab, Frisk blinked. She looked back to see the lab door. She opened it and saw the land bridge that led deeper into the caverns. Undyne and Alphys seemed surprised that they were back so soon. Yet Frisk stared at Sans for a moment.

 _A skeleton who disappeared right with the blink of an eye._ Chara hummed. _It wouldn't be a surprise if he's the one._

 _The one for what?_

 _The one that killed Gaster. Of course, I have no proof._ Although Chara's tone betrayed a bit of mirth.

"So Undyne," said Sans, "you know where this orb might be?"

"I have an idea." Undyne pulled the kid into a tight hug. "Mind if I come with you? I'd really like to get out of here and back home. What about you, Alphys?"

"Pardon?"

"Care to accompany us to the waterfall?" Undyne stretched her arms above her head. "You have been here for a while now. When the last time you've gone outside?"

"A while."

"Then it's settled." Patting the scientist on the back, the knight grinned. "Let's go find that orb."

"O-okay."

"Papyrus and I will stay behind." Sitting at the monitor, the shorter skeleton flipped through the screens. "I would like to take a closer look at something anyhow."

"Sounds good to me." Papyrus went up an escalator. "Alphys, do you mind if I lay down in your bed for a while?"

"Sure, but please leave my stuff alone."

"So what's the fastest way back to the Waterfall?" asked Frisk.

"The River Person." Undyne led the way down to a river. A hooded person stood upon a boat. "Excuse me, but we need a ride down to the Waterfall."

"Okay." The River Person hummed to himself. "Down to the waterfall we go." The group stepped onto the boat and by an unseen propulsion the boat sailed down the river. "Careful where you step. One wrong move and you'll release joy."

"What?" Frisk glanced to her friends who just shrugged.

"The river person is a little odd," stated Undyne. "They will say pretty much anything."

When they came to a stop the duo headed for the musical statue. They had to cross a river that would let them backtrack through the region. A duck offered to fly them across, but Undyne tucked her companions under her arms and leapt over. A long walk later Frisk heard music echoed through the tunnels. Chara started to hum it and the child join in.

"Here we are." The knight stopped in front of the statue. "Hey, it is playing music. I didn't it could do that know that."

Frisk pointed to the umbrella. "The statue was just too wet."

 _Go into the next room. There's a piano in there._

Doing as told, Frisk found the piano under an odd set of characters on the wall. "Why are there arrows on the wall?"

"Nobody knows," said Undyne. "They have been here for as far as I can tell."

Humming the tune, Frisk looked down at the piano keys. She never played this instrument in her life. Yet she pressed down on the keys and made an awful noise. Her companions and even her partner cringed at the sound.

"What are you doing?" Undyne lifted Frisk up as she sat down. Putting the child in her lap, the fish woman studied the keys. "What are you even trying to play?"

"The song from the statue."

Undyne placed Frisk's hands on the piano and then overlaps hers fingers over the child's. "Okay kid. Follow my lead." Nodding, Frisk allowed Undyne to guide her fingers. "Yeah. Just like that. Don't be too harsh. You can't make it sing by pounding away."

Alphys stood off to the side and smiled as the lovely notes flowed into the air. She yelped when the wall beside her fell. Rushing over to it, she stuck her head in.

"I found the orb."

"What?" Undyne dashed over with Frisk in her arms.

Frisk was set down before they walked over to an orb. It was colored like that of blood. "It looks like we found what we needed." She picked the orb up.

 _Think we can summon demons with it with the right words_ , asked Chara.

 _Tempting, but maybe later._ The orb was about the size of Frisk's head. "How am I going to carry this?"

Just put it in your phone." Walking over, the scientist pressed a button. "Just do this and that and…" A beam shot the orb and it disappeared. "There. It should be stored now."

"Is it that easy?" Looking around, the knight waved her hands. "Isn't there going to be some trap or something?" The beautiful song answered her. "Well… Who wants to go to my house to grab a bite to eat?"

"Me!" Frisk threw a hand into the air. "I'm hungry."

"We should return to the labs." Alphys rubbed her hands as she looked to the ground. "Though a quick break can't hurt anything. It's not like that dog is going anywhere."

"Let's get something to eat." Picking her friends up, the knight sprinted off. "It would be quicker if I carry you guys." Frisk laughed while Alphys hid her face in her hands. Minutes later they arrived at Undyne's house. It looked to be an angry fish with a tail.

Hoping off, the child noted a familiar dummy near the building. "Hey! You attacked me!"

"Yeah, so," asked the angry dummy. "Want to make a deal about it?"

"Why are you shouting at the dummy?" asked Undyne.

"He attacked me earlier with an army of dummies."

"Which you then tore apart with a plastic knife!"

"You did that with a plastic knife!" The knight slapped the child on the shoulder. A rock might as well have hit her. "That's incredible! Maybe we should spar sometime."

 _Lady, you don't want to mess with me!_ Chara remarked, sounding a bit smug. _I'm your worst nightmare._

"Can't we just play video games?" asked Frisk. "I can play those fighting games."

"Oh!" Undyne clapped her hands. "I know a few good fighting games. How about it, Alphys?"

"Aren't we on a special mission?" questioned the scientist. "Though I wouldn't mind playing later."

"Is Alphys any good?" asked Frisk.

"Alphys is one of the best!" Opening the door, the knight gestured them inside. "Come on now. I should have some snacks somewhere." The guest sit down at the table. After a bit of searching the knight walked back over with some chocolate. "I found some in the fridge. I don't normally eat it, but Asgore has a taste for it."

 _Chocolate!_ exclaimed Chara. _Give me! Give me! Give me!_

 _In a moment,_ replied Frisk. Taking a bar, she took a bit out of it.

 _Yum! It has been ages since I had a taste. I missed the taste of chocolate._

 _Have you eat anything before now?_

 _Yes and no… Before I ran into you, I was in a rather odd place. I think some people call it limbo. I wasn't really alive or dead, but floating in an odd state._

 _So you were undead._

 _I wished! If I were a zombie I would had set everything right long ago. No, I'm gonna stick with you until I can achieve my main goal._

 _And that is?_

 _How many times do I have to tell you of our abuser? I'm going to set them straight!_

Munching down on the chocolate, Frisk watched the knight and scientist chat. The signs were subtle, but she saw Alphys rubbing her hands more often than before. Her face seemed to glow. The knight had gotten energetic and waved her arms about. Maybe it would be best if she left the two in peace.

"Hey Undyne," said Frisk, "Does a ghost by the name of Napstablook happen to live nearby?"

"He does." Undyne gestured to the west. "He's my next door neighbor."

"Do you mind if I go over and see him. He's a friend of mine."

"Sure kid, but stay in the area. I want to be able to get you easily."

"Okay." Rushing over to Napstablook's house, the child knocked on the door. The ghost stuck his head through wood. "Hey Napstablook! How you doing?"

"Hey Frisk." The ghost smiled. "I didn't think you would be back so soon."

"Got any new music to listen to?"

"I working on a piece right now." Just as the ghost pulled back in Frisk's glanced to her right. A house similar to her friend's stood only a few feet away. Opening the door, she went inside and followed the ghost over to the computer. For a while they just stood there and listened to the eerier music that floated out of it. Sitting down on the floor, the child hummed along with the melody. A wide smile crossed her face. Chara commented how cool it would be if she could be a ghost like Napstablook. Then she can scare as many people as she wanted.

"So do you like it?" Napstablook looked to Frisk with a small frown. "I know that it a little odd, but it's still being work on."

"It's good!" Frisk clapped her hand. "Once it's done I'm sure it's going to be one of the best you made so far."

 _He should give it to a horror movie set._ Chara growled. _One where humans go crazy and start eating one another._

 _Can't we just have them kill one another? I don't want to see people get eaten_.

"Thanks."

"Hey Napstablook, who lives in the house next door?"

"My cousin used to."

"You have a cousin?!"

Nodding, the ghost sighed. "We used to hang out together, but then he got something to do and moved away. I haven't seen him for a while now."

"Have you tried knocking on his door to see if he is home?"

"I tried. He's never there. I can't even seem to call him. If I could get his cell phone number I could call him directly more often. Yet, the only way I can think of getting it is to go into his house."

"You're a ghost." Frisk gestured to Napstablook. "Shouldn't that be an easy task for you?"

"I wish, but my cousin put a special barrier around his house. The only way in is with opening it with a key."

"Key?" It may be absurd, but Frisk did have a key in her pocket.

 _Frisk, your entire life to this point is rather absurd. Let's add one more act to the list._

"Like this one?" Frisk pulled the key out.

"Maybe." The ghost floated toward the exit. "Might as well give it a try."

So the duo went over to the cousin's house and tried the key. To everyone's surprise, it opened. The child walked into a bright pink room. The walls, the carpet, TV, poster, and even the bed was pink. Only the wooden floor escaped the coloring. Scattered on the floors were a series of books.

"What are these?" Frisk picked a book up and read one. "This is Mettaton's diary."

"We shouldn't read them," said Napstablook.

"But aren't you curious to what happened to your cousin?"

The ghost held his silence. With a nod he floated over and the duo read through the books. By the time they were done Frisk blinked in surprise. Mettaton the celebrity happened to be Napstablook's cousin. She remembered Alphys telling her that she took an existing soul and using it to power a robot.

What she forgot to mention was that Mettaton was a ghost that wanted a body. The two met each other, had a get-a-new-body conversation and the scientist agreed to make a body. Frisk heard the voice laughing.

 _This is just rich!_ Chara might as well be grinning. _Once we find Mettaton, maybe we should tell the world his secret._

 _Would it matter that much?_ asked Frisk.

 _Well_ he _isn't going around telling people about it._

Sighing, Napstablook laid on the ground. "I wanted him to do it. He always had a personality that captured people's attention, but we ghosts have limitations. His biggest desire was to make people happy and gain fame. He couldn't do that, so he got himself a body."

"Do you miss him?"

"He was my best friend before he left. Now he barely even calls me."

"That isn't right."

"It doesn't matter really. He's got a life and I got mine. It is better this way anyhow."

"No it isn't!" Leaping to her feet, Frisk crossed her arms. "It isn't right for family to just abandon you like that."

"I guess."

 _Good grief. Frisk, get that ghost's lazy behind moving._

"Do you want to meet him again?"

Napstablook stayed quiet for a while. "It would be nice."

"I know that he is in the core. Tell him how you feel! You have the right to do so."

"I don't know…"

"I'm going there this soon enough." Frisk nodded. "It will be easy. Just walk up to him and tell him. Okay."

"Can I bring my music along?"

"Sure."

"Then I guess I could be bothered." The ghost frowned. "Though I would still have to leave the snail farm…"

"It won't take more than a few hours." Frowning, Frisk crossed her arms. "For all its size, the underground is rather easy to cross."

"Then I guess I can go."

"Just as soon as Undyne and Alphys are ready... and what is with that expression?"

Looking to the ground, the ghost quivered. "Undyne scares me."

Frisk smiled. "There's no denying that she can be a scary person at times, but I think she is good at heart. Come on. Let go over to her house and see what they're doing."

With a nod Napstablook followed Frisk to the house. They got to the door when half of the building exploded upward while the other crumbled to dust. Even the dummy wandered over to the door- the only thing that still stood. Frisk knocked on it and the door fell to the ground.

The refrigerator laid on its side. Peeking over it, Alphys's glasses rested crooked on her face. She looked as if she released a monster. Leaping to her feet, Undyne pumped her fists into her air and screamed in joy. She kept on screaming for a few minutes.

"Science is awesome!" shouted Undyne.

"Can I go home now?" asked the ghost.

"No." Frisk turned to the ghost. "I will give you my determination if I have to."

 _Can't we just ditch the fish_ , asked Chara. _She's scary in her own way._

"Hey." Undyne looked around. "What happened to my house?"

 _Please!_

Ignoring her partner, and maybe her own sense of perseverance, Frisk laughed. "Undyne, does your house take this must abuse all the time?"

"Three months ago she somehow destroyed it with an earthquake." Napstablook shivered. "It almost destroyed my house."

"Well." Taking off her glasses, Alphys cleaned it on her lab coat. "Note to self: Keep all chemicals away from Undyne in the future." She nodded to the ghost. "Hello, Napstablook. It had been a while since we last met."

"How is my cousin?"

"He's doing well, though he is as self-absorbed as ever."

"Do you mind if I accompany you to the lab? I wish to see him."

"You're more than welcome to." Alphys sighed. "It would seem that even one of my greatest achievements mocked me."

"Alphys." Undyne wrapped an arm around the scientist. "How were you to know that the guy can be a jerk? Let's get back to the lab."

By the River Man they got back to the lab. They found Sans looking over notes while Papyrus stood over him. The smaller muttered about something. The taller skeleton took the note and darted off with the papers. Just as he brought back a new ones he noted the arrivals.

"Hey guys! Who's the ghost?"

"A friend," said Frisk. "What are you doing?"

"We are trying to solve a rather peculiar mystery." Turning the chair around, Sans tapped the paper in hand. "Remember all of those disturbances I had been recording."

Dashing over, Alphys snatched the paper away. "I see some random letters…"

"I have to use some imagery math to make sense of thing." Shaking his head, the oldest scientist leaned back in the chair. "It's silly really, to use something that isn't real to understanding something that is. Yet at the same time it's appropriate."

"Pardon?" Undyne frowned. "Mind explaining that a little more clearly?"

"The greatest difficulty I'm having at the moment is measuring how 'real' the future or past that Frisk came from. The problem being that now that Frisk has changed the future, this timeline is the new reality. The other one is little more than the imagination of a little girl." Leaning forward, Sans patted the child on the head. "But does that mean her imagination is unreal? She had an idea. It may not have physical form, but yet it exist." He laughed. "Now I'm getting into entirely different field of interest entirely. In layman terms, despite all the jumping Frisk had done she hasn't managed to destroy the world."

"What?"

"Frisk, you know that the universe has rules?"

"Like the rule of gravity," said Napstablook.

"Correct. Even when an object is flying it still has gravity being pulled on it."

Frisk nodded. "I once learned about that in class. To break away from the Earth's gravity a rocket has to go very fast."

"Correct. No living being can escape gravity unless they can get away from every large mass in the galaxy. Now, imagine if someone had found a switch that could turn gravity off at will. What would happen?"

"Everyone would go into space," declared Papyrus.

"And die," added Undyne.

"There are rules in place within the universe. They are hard to see and sometimes make no sense." Sans glanced over his shoulder. "Yet with any sort of rule it can only be bent to a certain point."

"So?"

"So imagine what could happen if you could bend it beyond that point." Sans spread his hands over his head. "You think that life would stop if gravity went out? Everything in the world would literally stop in place and be paused in time if you break it. That doesn't include the effect it may have on the other timelines."

"Pardon?"

"Let's just say that the timelines might or might not exist at the same time. If they do, they would either be unaffected or do a cascading effect that pretty much screws up the universe."

"Sans," said Papyrus, "This is interesting and all, but what your point?"

"My point being that the world is somehow refusing Frisk to break it completely." Sans shrugged. "It appears to have a built in mechanism to keep it from completely falling apart. If that's the case then there is a formula to the world."

"And?"

"In theory, I could find out what it is and use my time machine to go through the time lines."

"You have a time machine?" asked Papyrus.

"Look, for now, let's just say that I might be happening on a big discovery. If Frisk would go back in time a couple more times I might find a way to fix everything."

 _Keep dreaming, comedian. I tried breaking the timeline before and found myself stuck in the same situation._

"That's nice and all, but can we return to my quest?" asked Frisk.

"Sure thing kid." The shorter skeleton returned to his work. "I'll be here and hoping to solve our problem. Go deal with that loony tin can."

"I will." Frisk turned to the others. "Who want to come with me?"

"I'll stay here," stated the scientist. "I would like to go through the results with Sans. This is rather interesting to say the less."

"Ditto." The knight sat down. "I hate traveling through Hotland. Unless you need me to do something, and I will not hurt Mettaton, I'm staying put."

"So that just leave me and Napstablook." Frisk offered the ghost a grin. "Ready for an adventure."

"I guess."

"At least it should be easy to get up to the hotel this time around. The guards blocking the elevator are gone."

Taking the easy way up, the duo returned to the hotel. Frisk summoned the red ball, but before going outside to meet the dog she saved. Good thing too, for the moment the dog saw her it blew up.

Chara laughed. _You got to hand it to that damn mutt._ _He's one stubborn dog._

Reappearing in the lobby, again, the child sighed. "Hey Napstablook."

"Yes."

"Can you do me a big favor and see if this dog will eat the sphere? I'm tired of being blown up."

"The dog blew up?"

"Just do it."

With a shrug the ghost took the sphere and went outside. After a few minutes, he returned. His body waved about as if to tell her to follow. Creeping over to the door, Frisk peered around it. The dog had fallen asleep. Its soft snores echoed. It would had been cute if it wasn't so annoying to begin with.

Walking over to the dog, Frisk kneeled down and pulled out her phone. "Hey Alphys, is it possible for me to defuse the dog. I don't want someone coming along and blowing themselves up."

"There's an app on your phone for that," declared the scientist.

"You thought up of everything."

"I did build Mettaton and know what he is able to do. The problem being that he is his own person with his own goals and drive. Do not underestimate him."

"Yes ma'am!"

 _Can't we just throw the dog over the bridge?_ A noise of sharpening knife came from Chara. _He deserve it and it will say us some time later on._

 _I'm not throwing a dog over the bridge._ Yet Frisk glared at the mutt for a while. _It is tempting though._

After defusing the dog, the duo walked into a room with three locked doors. Humming, the child tried the elevator. It refused to work. She tired the other door and it refused to budge. The last door proved to be the same problem.

Calling Alphys, the child tried to work the elevator again. "I got a problem. The path is block off!"

"What?! That shouldn't be possible. There should always be access to the area. If something wrong happened to the core…"

"Pardon me a second." Frisk pulled the phone away from her. "Napstablook, think you can go and see if you can open the door from the other side."

"I can try." The ghost fazed through the elevator door and then came back out. "Someone is holding it shut with vines."

 _Flowery_ , growled Chara. _Why can't he act more like Asriel?_

"How can he even get here?" asked Frisk. "This place is made out of metal. Go check on the other doors. There got to be a way out." Frisk held the phone to her ear. "Think you can open them?"

"I'll try, but if a physical object is keeping it closed, it will be difficult."

"I can come over," said Undyne. "This is right up my alley."

"Undyne, even if you managed to tear the doors open, you don't even know what on the other side. You can't wear you're amour in the area and I doubt getting hit by a misplace attack would do anyone good."

"So do I just wait here until something happens?" asked Frisk.

"Again, just give me a few minutes. I'm accessing the main computer for the core. Odd."

"Meaning?"

"There are symbols that shouldn't be in the computer. Sans, come take a look at this."

Silence came over the phone. Then with a sharp shriek the connection went die.

"Hello?" said Frisk. "Are you guys still there?"

"Frisk!" The ghost rushed over with a panicked expression. "The rooms, they are changing?"

"What are you talking about?"

The phone chimed and Frisk looked down.

"It's time for the real fun," said the message. The elevator door opened.

Blinking, Frisk glanced to Napstablook. The look they traded told of their distrust of the machine. Yet what else could they do than walk forward?"

The two entered and rode the elevator up, but it only got halfway. When it opened the two were greeted by tubes. Both the large and small glasses around them contained a dark green substance. Rays of light shot out of from the walkway that weaved through the area. Looking over the path, Frisk stared down into a dark abyss. One wrong step and she'd have another nasty fall.

 _So Gaster wants to stay in touch? Well, I hope he can play some more._

"Frisk?!" shouted Alphys. "Are you still there?"

"I'm here." Bringing the phone to her ear, the child frowned. "What 's the problem?"

"You're in a room that shouldn't be accessible through normal means!"

"Timeline frequentations are off the chart!" shouted Sans. "How the hell is this possible?"

"Because I am everywhere but nowhere," stated a voice. "Even time holds no border for me." Frisk glanced the place over in confusion. There had to be a speaker somewhere. Yet the walls contain no just things. "Do not fear child. Soon, you will be free of everything, but first…"

"It would seem you would have to go through me!" The walls transformed into the face of Mettaton. "Good grief. I heard of people who are picky, but this is getting insane. I think I had been through six rooms in a second."

"Frisk." The ghost hid behind the child. "I'm scared. What's happening?"

"The rules of this world are unraveling," stated the fallen child. "It's almost time to rewrite them."

* * *

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	12. Chapter 12

Enjoy the read.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Floodlights fell upon Frisk and Napstablook, making them cover their eyes. Mettaton started to speak again, but paused. The video changed to show the duo. Zooming in, they fell upon the ghost. He tried harder to shrink behind the girl.

"Cousin?!" the celebrity shouted. "What are you doing here?"

Peeking around Frisk, Napstablook grinned. "I'm asking that question myself."

"He's here because I brought him," declared Frisk.

"Fiend!" The screen in the front of the room flashed to Mettaton's image. For the first time his monitor turned a dark red. A pair of yellow lines formed narrowed eyes. "It's one thing to avoid all my traps. It's another to leave me stuck in a spider web, but this! How dare you take my cousin prisoner?!"

"Wait, no!" Going through Frisk, the ghost shook his head. "I came here on my own freewill."

The child shivered from the cold, but nodded in agreement. "He's right!"

"Don't you try to lie to me!" Leaning over, the robot pressed something. Dread filled Frisk as the floor burst into colored tiles. Red, blues, yellows, greens, pink, purple, and orange switch places. The random patterning stretched down the bridge. "I was going to at least tell you what all those colors tiles mean, but I don't see it fit anymore. Good luck!"

"Mettaton!" shouted the ghost, but the screen had already died. "Don't worry Frisk. I'm certain that you can get through this!"

"Oh," stated Mettaton in a snide tone, "I just remembered. You got two minutes to solve the puzzle."

"Now that just mean!" Frisk darted forward. She tried to step on red tiles and they shoved her back. Purple tiles made her smell like lemons while orange tiles made her smell like oranges. She entered the water and some type of fish bit her. When she got out of the water onto a yellow tile she got zapped. The only safe tiles seemed to be green and pink.

Napstablook tried to encourage the child, but could do little more than float alongside her. If only Frisk could grab hold of him. After a dozen shocks and half as much wounds to her legs, she came to the end of the room. A pair of massive doors stood in her way.

"Congratulations." The clock enlarged to show the few seconds that Frisk managed to spare. "You got through, but I saw that you stepped on a number of green tiles."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"Didn't you know? Green tiles summoned monsters."

"Cousin," said the ghost, "I'm the only one here."

A bang vibrated through the room. Dents formed in the metal doors. Leaping back, the child narrowly missed being smashed. A giant humanoid, no, two knights marched into the room. From behind them, magic circles fired forward. Frisk evaded all of them.

"Stop it!" Napstablook started to cry. "Why are you all doing this?! Frisk hasn't done anything wrong."

 _This is getting kind of old_ , stated Chara.

 _I can agree on that._

 _Knight Knight can be put to sleep with a song while Madjick just needs his orbs stared at._

 _Orbs?_ Frisk spotted a pair of orbs floating alongside the magicians. Three in all, the odd creatures talked in magic word or gibberish. It was hard to listen when the knight summoned a false moon overhead that cried. _I need music._ "Napstablook!"

The ghost looked at her in confusion. "If you want me to go away I would understand."

"No! I need you to play your music."

"Play my music?"

"Now and so that everyone will hear it."

With a shrug the ghost took out a MP3. He picked a song and let it play. The knights and the magicians came to a halt. They looked about in fear. Frisk blinked in confusion. Sure, the music may be a little spooky, but she liked it. It couldn't be that bad.

"What type of music is that?" asked the towering knight.

"It sounds as if it came from a dark forest," said the other knight.

"Evil, evil!" proclaimed the magicians.

They then turned around and fled.

Frisk and Napstablook stared for a moment. Walking over to the ghost, the child tried to hug him. Impossible to do, but she managed to grab his MP3 and squeeze it.

"I like your music," stated Frisk.

"Thanks."

"Really?!" shouted the celebrity. "They fled after hearing some music. Good grief, no wonder the bad guys lose all the time. They can't find the competent help to get things done."

"Mettaton," shouted the cousin, "I know you can hear me. Please stop this nonsense. I came here on my own free will." Silence answered. "Mettaton."

"You are a terrible soul," growled the celebrity, "For brainwashing my cousin."

Frisk slapped herself on the face. _I'm going to be the villain no matter what, aren't I?_

 _It sucks, doesn't it?_

 _I can agree to that._

"Hey Mettaton." Frisk looked through her fingers. "Do you know a person by the mane of W.D Gaster?"

"He was a famous scientist who killed himself with his own tech. What of it?"

"Here's a new story! He's helping me kick your ass!"

"Language, child, and you can't summon the dead."

"No, but he is stuck in space and time." Jabbing a finger at the robot, Frisk smirked. "No matter what you do, I will always come back. I'm determined to do so and I've got the help to do it."

"That's a bold claim, child. You're not even in the city yet, but what you said is true…" Mettaton clapped his hands. "That would explain a lot! You see now, my good audience. The human is so powerful that he can bring back the dead. Is there any chance of me stopping him?"

"I hope not," stated Frisk.

"Mettaton," whispered the ghost.

"See you soon, my darlings." The celebrity disappeared.

"He sure is determined to stop me." Frisk laughed. "Almost as determined as I am to get home. It's sad that we have to fight each other." Looking about, she frowned. "Hey W.D! I just made a big statement there. Can you please come out and help me?" Silence answered her. "Now I feel dumb."

 _He's here somewhere. He's just having a hard time communicating with us._

With a shrug Frisk exited the room. She yelped when the floor pulled her forward. Looking down, she stared at the moving lanes. People on the surfaced had them, but after walking so far it was pleasant surprise.

That ended when a pit appeared in front of the child. Yipping, she darted away. Napstablook stared down at the pit. An odd frown crossed his face.

"For someone who's helping you, he can't seem to make a straight path."

A screen flashed on nearby. The face of a worn skeleton appeared. Odd characters stretched across the screen, but it spoke in English. "You try to change the world as nothing more than a fleeing thought at the back of the mind."

"Gaster?" Frisk ran in place.

"It would appear to be the truth of the matter."

"Can you somehow get us to the city?"

"Sure, but you must go to that robot. Chara must confront him."

"So life is being mean." Frisk shrugged. "What else is new?"

The child followed the paths for a while until she came upon an escalator. When she tried to climb it, but the escalator slid to the side. Blinking, the child grabbed it and dragged it back. The escalator, which should have weighed at least half a ton, slid back with ease. Yet when she tried to step on it the elevator moved away again.

"Hey!" Frisk grabbed and pulled.

"Sorry darling, but I have orders by one hot robot to not let you pass." The escalator chuckled. "If you want help getting by, I recommend finding another way."

"Is there another way up?"

"Nope."

Growling, Frisk took out her phone and turned it into a jetpack. Yet when she tried to use it, a poof of smoke came out of the exhaust pipe. She turned the jetpack back into a phone and called Alphys.

"You're out of fuel," stated the scientist. "Sorry about that. I never thought that you needed more than once."

"No worry. I can just go back if need be."

 _Or you could use the powers you got to keep going forward_ , stated Chara.

 _Which one?_

 _Remember our spider friend?_

Grinning, the child nodded. "Never mind. I just came up with an idea by myself. Napstablook." She put the phone away. "Can you get up there by yourself?"

"I can float if that's what you are asking."

"Then follow me up there. Purple mood on!"

 _On it._

Frisk hold out her hand and a purple line shot out of it. It attached to the air above the escalator. Setting her line on the ground, the child hopped onto it. Her feet stuck to it.

"Amazing," said the ghost. "When did you learn to do that?"

"I have no idea, but it does come in handy." Climbing up the line, Frisk waved to the escalator. "See you later."

"No fair!" exclaimed the moving stairs. "I wasn't told you can do that."

 _We are unstoppable._ Chara laughed. _And that isn't even a joke. We cannot die, we cannot be slowed down, we cannot be beat down, and we cannot be tricked. We are going to get what we want even if we have to break the world._

 _You know what,_ thought Frisk.

 _What?_

 _I think I agree with you._

 _Really?_

Frisk pumped her fist as she walked down the moving aisle. _Who can really stop us? With our abilities we can do whatever we want._ Slumping, the child shook her head. _Yet I'm afraid of that power._

 _Why?_

 _Because I can hurt people, restart, and get away with it. The scariest person in the world isn't someone who will murder millions. It's a person who can do that and get away without even learning a lesson from it._

 _We are the heroes_ , stated Chara. _We can't do anything wrong?_

 _Can't anyone say they are the hero?_

 _I guess._

 _Then what if the villain thought herself a hero?_

 _Then we are screwed, aren't we._

"Hey Frisk." The ghost floated alongside the child. "You seem to be deep in thought. Care to share anything with me?"

"I'm just talking with myself. Do you think we will find more trouble ahead?"

"Maybe I'll just have to play my music," said the ghost. "It seemed to keep the worst of it away."

"If only music could make all our problems go away."

"That would be nice."

"No more war or hungry."

"No more sorrow."

"Everyone can grab hands and sing along."

 _You guys are going to make me barf._

 _You're a spirit_ , stated Frisk. _You can't barf._

 _Then I'll take your body and force you to do it._

 _No you can't._

 _Sure I can._

Against Frisk will her hands went to her pants and started to unbutton them.

 _What are you doing?!_

 _Showing you whose boss._

Frisk managed to zip her pants back up. _Can't you find a way that isn't embarrassing?_

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" The ghost turned away. "I can go over here and you can pee in that corner."

"No!" Frisk shouted. "A stupid part of me took control for a moment."

 _Frisk._

 _What?_

 _What happened to the room?_

Coming to a halt, the child stared into darkness. "Please tell me that's just a dark room and not an abyss."

"I can go check." The ghost flew over into the dark and laid down. "Nope, it would appear that it is solid ground."

"Then why is everything dark? Does this cell phone have a flashlight?" Frisk pressed several buttons, but got nothing. "Great. She made a lot of cool stuff, but failed to add in a rather useful tool."

 _Considering that we're in a cave, you'd think monsters would have more lights lying about._

"Well, there's only one thing we can do and that is to walk forward." Frisk walked and she felt the flooring change. Wood groaned under her feet. Hitting a piece of cloth, she tossed it to the side. "Good grief. Can someone turn on the lights?!"

"With pleasure!"

Frisk shielded her face as strobe lights hit her. Cheers erupted in front of her. Blinking, the child lowered her hands. She stood upon a stage which an army of monster spread out before. They erupted into cheers.

Freezing into place, the child tried to understand what was going on. First off, she was in the core. The core provided energy for the entire underground. That made sense. People can apparently enter the place with ease. That was also understandable. Yet who thought it was a good idea to cram a giant stage and host an event. Come to think of it, who was putting on the show in the first place? She just got here!

"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen!" shouted a familiar voice.

 _There's our answer._

Dropping from the sky, Mettaton turned to his fans and waved. People howled. Frisk flinched at the volume. She looked to the ghost who appeared to be as stunned as her. Gulping down her stage fright, she placed her hands upon her hips. She marched up to the celebrity and took a deep breath.

"Mettaton! What is going on?!"

"The biggest battle of the century!" Circling around the child, the robot sang. "It will be a gander to watch. You and I will fight until one of us drop. Of course, it would be right for the hero to remain standing, while the loser lie on the ground."

"Who the hell is the hero?" Frisk frowned. "I just want to go home!"

"Oh…" The celebrity came to a stop in front of the child. "Yet you seem to misunderstand something. Have you not wonder why things must go as they are?"

"Honestly, I don't care." Frisk gestured to the ghost. "You're cousin is here. He want to talk with you. Talk with him and leave me along."

"I can't do that." Reaching for his back, the robot tried to hit something. "I must stop you here and now. If you get through the world would be in jeopardy. Yet maybe I can persuade with words first."

"Don't reason with her!" shouted a monster from the crowd. "Humans can't be reasoned with."

"But wouldn't it be good if we could just talk and finish this with little trouble. It would be a bit of a bore though."

"Can you start talking sense?" Frisk growled. "Nobody here is telling me anything."

"Frisk, if you complete your current quest, you risk the danger of damaging the world."

"Why?"

"Because you are what keeps this place alive!" The machine gestured around him. "Your soul is what maintains the Underground. If you try to change the game then things will fall apart. The dog said so himself."

"Game? Why does everyone keep using that word?"

"I have said too much." Mettaton turned around. "Would you mind flipping my switch? I can't reach it."

Frisk stared at the large switch for a moment. _Should I do it?_

 _We can't harm him in his current mode, but in his other mode he's more dangerous._ Chara chuckled. _Do it._

With a shrug the child switched the switch. "There. Now w-"

Smoke erupted from the machine as he flew into the air. Stumbling back, the child held up her hand in shook. The colorful lights followed the flying machine. His screen glowed a bright red and a golden heart shot out. The screen then disappeared and the machine collapse onto itself. A defined torso formed, but its shoulder blades appeared to extend out and pointed. One normal arm appeared, but the other formed a cannon. Legs popped out and shin guards grew out. A pair of large, ragged wings sprung from the back.

At last a head popped out. Black, shining hair waved to the right. One eye of the humanoid face had been covered with blac metal. The other narrowed into a knowing look. It focused on Frisk who was starting to stumble back.

"What form is that?" asked the child.

 _Oh shit._

 _What does that mean?_

 _He's not playing around! He wants you die._

"Do you like it?!" Posing in mid-air, the robot grinned. "This is my human hunting form. I had never needed it before now." He turned to crowd and sweep his hand out. Heart shaped objects flew from his hand to the audience. They grabbed for it. "Today, the human won't take another step forward."

The cell phone ringed. Frisk almost dropped it when she answered.

"Get out of there!" screamed Alphys.

"I'll get there as fast as I can," shouted Undyne in the background. "Sans, what the hell are you doing?"

"I can't use my shortcut," said the skeleton. "Why?"

Frisk yelped when the phone was shot out of her hand.

"That's enough chatting, girl." A gleam came from the robot hidden eye. "You better prepare yourself! This is one fight you're not walking away from."

Darting in front of Frisk, Napstablook glared his cousin down. "Stop this at once."

 _Too late!_ Growled the voice. _He's coming._

Frisk felt her heart glow. With a chuckle the man hunter shot forward. His laughter filled the air. Holding out his left arm, he charged up his cannon.

"Can you at least stop for a moment to listen to your own cousin?!" Frisk held out her arm and a shield appeared. About the same time the cannon fired. It broke the shield, went through the ghost, and struck Frisk right in the heart. Gasping, the girl stumbled back. Her hand went to the hole in her chest, as her shirt became drenched in her own blood.

"I'll do it after I'm certain that there is a world in which he can live in."

. . .

 _I told my parents of my plan to free the underground. They needed seven humans' souls to break the barrier, yet a monster and a human soul combined could get through it with ease. If I were to go with someone to the surface I could collect the other six souls. Granted, getting them maybe a bit difficult, yet it should be better than waiting for someone to come._

 _Mom and Dad rejected the idea for being too dangerous. That upset me, but I understood. For a monster to take my soul I'd have to die. That monster would then have to go into a world which had banished their kind centuries ago. Yet I couldn't just sit back and watch my families and friends rot away._

 _In secret I continued my project. First off, I needed a monster who would agree to go with me. It took a bit of time, but I convinced Asriel that this was the only way for monsters to get out of the underground. Once a partner was secured, I searched for the perfect way to die. Of course, I saved my progress before continuing. Take note that this was probably the single most important detail of my story._

 _Anyhow, I was having a hard time coming up with a way to die. On one hand, I wanted to make sure I could finish myself off. Yet I also had to avoid my parents' keen gaze. They already knew of my plan. People kept watch on us most of the time. Knifes were kept away and anything remotely dangerous kept a good ten yards out of reach._

 _I came upon my solution by a bad accident. One day, my brother and I saw our dad enjoying Mom's pie. Being the idiot kids we were, we tried to make our own pie which happened to be butterscotch. Unfortunately, at the time, we run out of butterscotch. How can one make butterscotch pie? Well, buttercup flowers, which sounded somewhat like butterscotch, grew outside our house. We thought they would make a great pie. Again, we were young and stupid._

 _When Dad ate the pie and got sick I was confused at first. Why did he get sick? Then Mom told me that the flowers were poisonous. Good news was that you had to eat a lot of the flowers to die. Dad would just get a bit ill and be up and running in a few days._

 _Before I came home the next day I got as much flowers as possible. I tricked my parents into thinking they was a new tea I liked. I drank it and the effects took hold a few days later. It pained me to see my parents upset and it hurt to drink the poison. I had terrible cramps in the stomach and coughed up blood. My parents told me to hold on. Dad said I should stay determined- that I was still needed to save his, no our, people._

 _I wanted so badly to tell them that I was saving them. That soon the poison would take effect and my brother and I would go to the surface world to free everyone. Soon enough, I died. It was weird and it would be best that I just skipped over a feeling that I had little words for. All that matter was that Asriel and I merged souls._

 _I knew everything that he wanted and he knew what I wanted. Our body and minds were one. To fool our parents we took my body along. We got through the barrier with ease. To our surprise we shared control of Asriel's body. My brother allowed me to take the lead for why shouldn't he? I was the only person who knew where humans lived. We just go in, get out with the souls, and free all monsters._

 _As we walked we experimented with our powers. It was incredible. We could blow up trees by summoning beams! It was so cool! We could fly around with ease and do these other amazing things. Of course, we took good care of my body. I may not live in it anymore, but it was still my body._

 _Then we entered town. Again, being the dumb kid I was I didn't think about what would happen if a monster carrying a dead child would just appear out of nowhere. People panicked and attacked us. It was right there I had a revelation. My whole life was leading up to this moment. Yes, I have to free the monsters, but that wasn't far enough. Humans and monsters can't live together. By whatever power that may exist had granted me the strength to strike back. So I readied myself to destroy my attackers._

 _Asriel betrayed me. He betrayed me. My brother, my best friend, and now soul mate betrayed me. HE BETRAYED ME._

 _He just stood there and allowed himself to be hit. Startled, I tried to take back control, but Asriel just refused to listen. I couldn't understand! This is what we worked our life for. We were to be heroes that conquer the day. This isn't how heroes behave!_

 _Yet Asriel turned around and returned home. We just got into the throne room when our hearts tore in two. I at once tried to load my save. It should be that simple to do and yet…_

 _Nothing happened. I remained dead. For a long while my soul just hovered there in confusion. How did this happen?! No matter what happened before, I was able to restart. The only reason I managed to die this time was because Arsiel absorbed my soul right after death._

 _Then I realized that part of my soul wasn't my own! When the traitor turned to dust, the breaking of our souls were uneven. He took half of my soul and I took half of his. I don't understand how it happened, but nobody studied the fusion of souls before. My best guess is that when something breaks it doesn't always distribute evenly to the way it was before._

 _So now half of my soul was that of a monster, which doesn't have enough determination to restart the world. If I had the body, I would have screamed in anger. I did everything I could to get my parents' attention. To tell them that I still existed. Yet it didn't matter. I was dead. I was forsaken._

 _I hated the world…_

 _No! I won't lose again. Not when I was so close to breaking this terrible world!_

. . .

Mettaton sighed in relief. In all honesty, he at least thought the child would put up a fight. He got lucky that her first reaction happened to be her worst choice. His audience seemed disappointed, but this one time he was glad for a loss of ratings. Landing on stage, he marched over to the corpse. He checked the giant hole in Frisk's chest. That wound was fatal no matter what.

Hovering over Frisk, Napstablook stared down at the child in shook. The robot approached and the ghost pulled away. Tears leaked form his eyes.

"Why?" asked the ghost. "She had done nothing wrong."

"Sorry, cousin, but it's best that things end here and now. I didn't want to. Please believe me on that account."

Over in the labs Papyrus sat in the corner of the room and mumbled to himself. Undyne appeared sick and Alphys stared at a door. Yet Sans kept an eye on the screen and knew this to be odd. It was little surprise that the celebrity got a kill. The world had yet to reset itself. Why?

Then his device dinged. Blinking, Sans looked at it and frowned. The device stated that the timeline disruption happened a second ago. That can't be right. Yet to his surprise the hole in Frisk's chest closed up and blood faded from her shirt. She got to her feet and just stood there for a second.

Back with Mettaton the machine tried to figure out a way to comfort his cousin. Maybe he should just leave. His cousin looked ready to burn him with his tears. Then his audience started to mutter in surprise. A number of them told the robot to look out.

For what? Just before Mettaton could glance behind his shoulder a sharp pain shot through his lower back. He looked back in time to see Frisk ripping a knife- a plastic one!- right through his back.

"Hey, pretty boy," said the child in a dark tone. When she looked up a grand smile crossed her face. Her eyes had turned a blood red and a black liquid leaked from them. "I'm not done playing with you yet!"

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Tearing the knife out, Chara twirled it in her hand. She cut for an arm, but the robot flew out of range. He whirled around in mid-air. Holes opened up in his shoulders and tiny missiles bolted forward. As they charged the child, her heart turned from red to a dark purple.

"This is going to be fun!" The fallen child laughed as she spread her arms out and purple lines caught the missiles. They were then set into a circular orbit around her. "Hey… I'm enjoying this! I can feel this." Curling into herself, Chara laughed. "About damn time! I was tired of the soullessness!"

With a small smirk the celebrity thrust his cannon arm forward. "How silly of me to think that a terrible foe just as yourself could be shot down with ease. This time I'll make sure you'll stay down!" He fired the gun.

Flicking her wrist, Chara sent one of her trapped missiles forward and it slammed into the beam. The explosion filled the room with bright light. Mettaton shielded his eyes. A growl escaped him as he saw a purple line shooting off to his right. The child soared through the air. With a huff the robot flew wide of her. He fired off several more bolts.

Each one met by a missile. The blinding explosion made it difficult to keep trace of Chara. Just as Mettaton got below the lights, a missile came at him. Having little time to react, he dropped downward. Only a moment later did he realized that the lights above him were the target. Sparks flew. Several of the large lights dropped down. One of them clipped the celebrity's wing.

At that same moment the fallen child slammed into his back. One of her arms went to his head. He glanced at the arm to see a gun attached to it. A yellow glow emitted from it. When fully charged the shot exploded in the celebrity's face.

Laughing, Chara leapt off and used a series of strings to land safely on the ground. "Strong." She glared at her hand. "Not enough. Damn it."

Shaking his head, the celebrity grabbed his face. He summoned a mirror to hand and took a quick look at himself. That blast scoffed his right cheek, but overall he appeared alright. Yet he feared what a prolong fight would do.

"Mettaton!" shouted Alphys. Startled, the celebrity glanced about. Television screens showed the scientist. "You need to get out of there!"

"No can do, darling." The robot grinned at the cameraman. "This child is putting up a fight and she-"

"Whoever she is, she's going to kill you," stated San in a cool voice. "Retreat now or risk your life."

"Really?" The robot blinked. "By all accounts she had refused to fight anyone. She…oh boy." He felt something lash around his leg. Glancing down, the robot blinked upon seeing a purple thread.

"It isn't fair that you can fly," stated Chara. The robot yelped when his heart started to glow a dark purple. The child's turned yellow. "Now hold still!" Flying in circles the robot avoid the shots and fired right back, but Chara dodged. Bubbly laughter erupted from her throat. At one point Napstablook started to play some of his music. The audience cheered their hero on.

Yet the celebrity found himself unable to move far. The thread lashed him to the stage. He tried firing at it, but his bolts just seem to go right through it. Growling, the robot dove toward the child. If he could end her then this fight would be over. Yet the child rushed him. Going into a spin, she evaded a head on collusion. Facing the crowd with a sinister smile, she posed.

"Come on now," said the fallen child. "Is that all you can do?" People erupted into applause. Waving to herself, the child laughed. "That right! This hero is going to show you up, you hunk of junk."

"Oh…" Diving for the child, the robot hold his arm to the right. A beam of energy formed in front of him. "I will not let someone insult me so easily!" Standing her ground, Chara held her arm out. When the blaster came within a foot of her she deployed the shield. It cut right through the Mettaton's arm. The celebrity crushed into the shield and bounced off.

The fallen child sidestepped the blaster. Drawing her knife, she darted over to the machine scrambling to his feet. The blade cut right through a wing. Gasping, the machine swatted an arm out. His eyes widened as the child kept charging him. Her blade cut deep into his metal frame.

Retreating, Mettaton fired off more missiles. This forced Chara back, but the robot started to beep. Steam rushed out of him as his heart popped out. It floated around for a bit. Evading the missiles, the child's heart went into yellow mode and bombarded the floating soul. When the soul found it placed once more the celebrity fell to his knees.

"Impossible." The celebrity studied the child with fear. "By all accounts you're supposed to be kind. You haven't attack any monsters with just fury. Who are you?!"

"I'm the one who had been wrongfully punished." Looking at her hands, the fallen child growled. "Forced to watch her friends and family be killed or suffered. Betrayed, buried, and raised from the dead." A cold smile spread across her face. "Now I'm back to settle something that should had ended decades ago."

Stumbling to his feet, the robot offered a dark chuckle. "Would you mind clearing something up for me? Do you hate monsters?"

"I neither hate nor love anyone at the moment." Raising her arms, the child readied her guns. "You look ready to fall apart. Just one more hit and you should be dead." In the back of her head she heard the cry for mercy.

Dropping her guns, the fallen child laughed. "Are you kidding me?" Looking to the skies, the fallen child eyes turned into voids. Blood leaked out as she offered a feral grin. "Don't you remember the deal? This body is also mine. Oh, and Mettaton, I'm going to need your body as well."

Mettaton fled, but halted when a gaster blaster formed in front of him. He glanced to the side and stared at a tall, lanky skeleton. A crack went down the right side of his head. His hands moved in a meaningful manner. Words appeared over his head.

"Surrender your body for the betterment of monsters."

"No!" Summoning missiles, the robot's eyes stared to glow. "I have fought long and hard for his body. I will not let anyone take it."

"Gaster!" Sans appeared on screen. "You're supposed to be dead."

"In this universe, the world allows a certain few to come back." Offering a sweet smile, Gaster stared Sans down. "Now, why don't you settle down my child and enjoy the show."

"Stop ignoring me!" Mettaton would had fired, but he forgotten about Chara.

Ramming into his side, the fallen child knocked him over. Before he could stand she summoned her blaster and fired upon the robot. She kept at it until he stopped moving. His expression grew blank.

Huffing, Chara smashed the blasters together. "This is it. I can finish this once and for all! Just give up your body and we…" She paused when she heard the plea of mercy. "No…" The fallen child growled. "Mercy would only allow this madness to keep going. If I'm going to make things right, force must be used. I'll begin with you, Mettaton. Nothing personal, alright."

"Frisk," shouted the ghost. "Please stop! My cousin deserved to be roughed up, but not killed!"

"Mercy!" howled the audience. "Mercy!"

"Frisk!" shouted Alphys. "Don't hurt him anymore."

"Frisk…" The fallen child sighed. "I'm sorry."

The child fired the shot and silence choked the room.

Mettaton blinked. He glanced to the hole beside his head. Looking back at the fallen child, he asked through a glare whether to thank or curse her. Yet all he could see was a dazed expression.

. . .

"Give me back my body!" Smacking her hands into the side of her head, Frisk shook her head. Blood, dust, and death filled her sight. Toriel crumpled at her feet. Papyrus's clothing stepped upon and covered with her own blood. Undyne melting away while Mettaton exploded on one hit. "No!" Other imagines of her hugging a goat boy flashed through her mind. Their smile tearing at her heart. They were above ground and away from the terror of the deep. She enjoyed pie with Toriel and play pranks with Sans "I don't want hurt anyone! What the hell is wrong with you!?"

 _How are you in control?_ roared Chara. _How?_

"Enough." Throwing the knife into the crowd, Frisk scratch at her face. "Out! Get out of me!"

"No!" screamed the fallen child. "I must do this! Hadn't you seen my memories? My nightmares! Make them stop. Make them stop!"

"By causing more suffering.

"It's the only way to end it."

"Are you insane?"

"Are you stupid?"

"Why won't you understand me?!" The duo shouted in union.

Everyone watched this event in stunned awe. None of them spotted the text that appeared overhead. Even if they did only one person could read it.

. . .

"Error," declared the game, "Frisk and Chara are getting out of control. What do you want to do?"

Leaning back in his chair, the player stared at their laptop in confusion. What the hell was going on? They were aware that Chara could take control, but Frisk was the avatar. This new route was giving them one hell of a time. Rubbing the back of their head, the player stared at the screen for a moment. It had given them two options. Leave the children alone to deal with it by themselves or try to take back control.

"Is this game serious?" Shaking their head, the player wished they had saved earlier. They would have liked to do both options. Yet at that moment they felt little need to go through Mettaton fight again. Once Chara took control things got… odd. The option for fleeing had been taken away. He tried to play the game, but the heart seemed to have a mind of its own. The more he played, the more Chara resisted him. Was this what she meant by breaking something? She wanted a complete split from them?

The player shook their head. No, they doubted they spent hours searching for a way to fix Frisk's soul just to have it torn away from them again. So they pressed on the button for taking control. They yelped when Gaster popped onto screen. The ghostly skeleton offered an odd smile.

"For one so determined, you're unable to learn from your mistakes." Spreading his arms out, the skeleton's hands started to glow. "Yet it is not my place to refuse." With that said the skeleton faded back into the screen. The player grinned as they pressed an arrow key. Frisk moved, though she still grabbed her head.

"Now, let's finish up with Mettaton… What the?" The player took note that only half of Frisk heart was red. The other had turned a dark purple. "What's now?"

. . .

Frisk's muscles turned to stiff rubber. She could bend them, yet her limbs felt weighted down. Then a leg slammed into her stomach and sent her flying off the stage. Monsters scattered to avoid being slam into. Skidding across her back, the child coughed.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Firsk.

 _We were kicked, moron!_ Chara kept on trying to take control, but Frisk refused to hand over her body. Instead, she struggled to her feet. Her movement were slow and jerky. _We're going to get hit._

Half of Frisk's heart turned green and her arm spazzed forward. Just in time for the shield to block several missiles. Mettaton jumped off the stage and kept firing missiles. The explosives got smart and started to avoid the shield.

Frisk dropped the shield, but her slow movement almost got her blown up.

"Give me the body!" shouted Chara. "It's mine!"

Frisk ducked under the swipe of a fist. "Can you please stop attacking me for a moment!?"

"Sorry dear." The robot pouted as he struck a pose, though he looked rather silly sticking his damage arm in the air as it sparked. "This is nothing personal."

"I'm not even the one who said that!"

"And you're cheesy!" shouted the fallen child. "Seriously! Can't you come up with anything better than parroting? I guess that what you get with a second rank celebrity."

"Do you want to make him angry?!" Frisk tried apologized, but she saw the rage in the robot's eyes. His cool smile tried to twist into a snarl yet stay friendly at the same time.

Frisk jerked her hand away and her heart turned purple. A line shot out and she zipped down it to get away. Mettaton tried to follow, but his fellow monsters jumped him. Yelping, the celebrity tried to shake them off. Yet more and more of them grabbed hold and restrained him.

"What are you doing?!" shouted the robot.

"Enough!" shouted a shyren. "He taught me how to sign."

"He reminded me what I'm fighting for," declared a whimsalot.

"He helped me with my jokes!" shouted a Snowdrake.

Monsters dog piled on the celebrity. Frisk just stared for a moment and grinned. Did she do those things in a past time line?

 _Why are they helping you?_ Chara sounded utterly confused. _Don't they remember that they were killed? You are a human. A threat. Yet all they seemed to remember is the good things. Even then, why help you? Why?_

 _Can't a person help just because they feel like it_ , asked Frisk.

Chara stayed silent for a moment. _People are weird_. She howled in a cheer. _Look! Mettaton's heart is coming out!_

Frisk stared as the heart came out of the place. Images of Mettaton without his legs and arms appeared in her head. "Do you think we hit that Mettaton would stop attacking us?"

The child's soul turned a dark red.

 _Let's do this._

Holding up her arm, Frisk charged up the gun. She blinked in surprise as red sparks came off of it. Seeing that the celebrity was starting to steam, she choice to ignore it for now. The child grabbed hold of her arm and aimed for the floating soul.

"Mettaton!" shouted Frisk. "Ready or not, here I come!"

The gun went off and the child skidded back. The red bolt formed into a knife and plunged into the soul. It flew back into the celebrity's chest. Gasping, he stumbled back. Monsters released him as steam fired out of him. His left arm blew up, followed by his right leg. Falling to the ground, the robot convulsed. Several minutes passed before he became still.

Panting, Frisk smiled. "Hey, we won. We should be able to talk to him now." Silence answered here. "Hey Chara. Are you there? Are you upset that I got control over my body again?" She shrugged. "Fine, be that way. It would be nice for a change to be the only person talking."

"Mettaton!" Alyphs rushed over with Undyne. "Are you okay?" She checked the damaged. "He's still intact, but his battery is destroyed. We need to get him back to the lab as soon as possible."

"Right!" Undyne picked the robot up.

"I'm sorry, Alphys." Frisk offered a sad smile. "He forced me to do it."

"It's alright." The scientist sighed. "No permanent harm is done, but I'm going to have you come back to the lab."

"Why?"

"Sans requested that you come."

The thought of getting Sans upset scared the child so she followed along. Undyne sweated under the harsh conditions, but she got in the lab in one piece. She demanded water and Alphys directed her to the sink. Putting her head under the facet, the knight spent a good twenty minutes guzzling water.

With the help of Sans they carried Mettaton over to the bathroom. The scientist glanced at it several times nervously. Frisk questioned why they needed to go into the bathroom until they got onto an elevator.

"Why is this here?" asked Frisk.

"This leads to the true lab." Alphys sighed. "Normally, I wouldn't take you here, but Sans insisted."

"Cool." Papyrus hopped right in. "Where are we going?"

"Yeah?" Ducking to enter, Undyne glanced around. "I never knew this existed."

"You weren't supposed to." Alphys bowed her head as the door slammed shut. "Brace yourself." A red light went off and they plunged downward. Everyone, but the scientist screamed and kept at it after they slammed into the ground. "We're here."

Compared to the upper labs the true lab was grim. The walls were all dark color. A mist seemed to hover in the air. Just as they got outside the door white masses charged the group. Undyne stepped forward, but Alphys held out a hand.

"They are harmless. Just hungry." Whistling, the scientist took out some candy from her pocket. "I'll give you this if you behave yourself."

The blobs started making an odd sound. One of them formed the general shape of a dog, but there was a dark hole where a face should be. Some odd liquid dripped from it.

"What are these things?" asked Frisk.

"Failed experiments." Sighing, the scientist started off. "There are some beds in the next room. Give me a few minutes to get these guys fed and I'll explain everything." Undyne set the robot down onto one of a dozen of beds. Frisk sat down on one, but paused when a white glob in the form of thin, flexible pole wandered over. Alphys shooed it into the next room.

Sans looked around the place with a keen eye. Something in that stare told Frisk that this wasn't the first time the skeleton had been here. Papyrus and Undyne were talking to one another. They debated whatever the king knew of this place. Then Alphys walked in with an anxious expression. Sweat gleamed down her face.

"Let's get the biggest question out in the light. What you just saw are called the amalgamates. They use to be dead monsters who I managed to recover their bodies, before they turn to ash."

"You managed to do that?" asked Sans.

"Why do you sound surprised?" asked Frisk.

"These monsters died of natural deaths, so their bodies held together longer," stated Alphys.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Frisk.

"When we die we turn to dust." Undyne grinned at the child stunned expression. "Unlike humans, our bodies are mostly magic. Depending on how we die, the process can take a while. A natural death could take a couple days to weeks before our bodies turn to dust. If attacked in battle, our bodies fall apart the moment we pass our limit."

Frisk thought upon that for a moment. "How were the amalgamates brought back to life?"

"I injected them with determination," stated Alphys.

"Determination?"

"It's something that nobody is quite sure what it is." Alphys took off her glasses to rub her eyes. "From my studies everything seemed to produce this determination. Monsters have far less than humans, though Undyne is an unusual case." Tears sprung to her eyes. "Pardon me for a second." Rubbing her arms across her eyes, she hiccupped. "I just remembered something I'd rather not."

Frisk and Undyne hugged the scientist.

Startled, Alphys offered a weak smile. "Any way, the point being that this determination appears to be a life source. I managed to take determination out of the human souls we collected and inject it into the monsters' bodies. Things worked at first, but…" She bowed her head. "You can see how much of a failure I am. The bodies fused together to form those things."

"Alphys," said Undyne as she pulled away. "Why haven't they gone home yet?"

The scientist blinked. "I can't show them to their families."

"Are you beating yourself over this?" The knight shook her head. "It's terrible, but how could you have known."

"You couldn't," stated Sans. "Your heart was in the right place. Now that you know, would you do it again?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why worry about it." Sans stretched his limbs. "We understand, but you can't keep them down her forever or avoiding their families."

"I know." Alphys looked to Undyne. "I just don't want to disappoint them."

"You're doing more harm by keeping them here," stated Undyne.

Sighing in defeat, the scientist sat down on the bed. An amalgamate with a clam for a head and the body of a mermaid came over. It patted Alphys on the arm.

"I know." Alphys stood. "It's time we end this hide and seek game. Frisk, can you please talk with Sans. He got something important to say."

Nodding, the child walked over to the skeleton. "What is it?"

"We might have learned who is running the entire show." Sans gestured for her to follow him. They entered a room with a television and tons of tape. "While you were walking through Hotland, I had been looking around to see any oddities."

"Besides me?" asked Frisk.

"Yep."

"Oh!" Papyrus came into the room. "Are we going to watch the adventures of the dog?"

"We are." Sans placed the tape in.

"I like that show!" Sitting down, the taller skeleton nudged Frisk in the stomach. "We are about to watch something amazing."

As Sans sat down the screen turned on to show a small, white dog. The same one that stole Papyrus's bone, wake up Frisk, and turned itself into a bomb. It was digging around in someone's yard. Frisk grinned as Toriel walked out and threw a pan at the dog.

"Damn you!" shouted the goat woman. "I have been trying to keep this place in good shape. What is it with you and digging up my bush. Hell! I was hoping you got yourself shot!"

Yipping, the dog ran off as Toriel fired fireballs at the fleeing dog. "Today is the day I'll rid of this bane!"

The dog then ran around the tree and melded with the air. Toriel skidded to a halt. Startled, the goat woman looked around. She searched the tree for a hole, but found none. Then the screen flickered to the waterfall. Laughing, the dog marched through some water.

"I always loved getting that old woman's goat. So who should I play with today? The mad dummy seemed like a good choice. Maybe I should visit Flowey. How hard is it for him to get one girl? Catch her and then force her to go back in time. Is it that too hard to ask?"

"How does he know about my abilities?!" shouted Frisk.

Sans hushed her. They watched as the dog went about and annoyed everyone. He never did anything that one could consider evil; but he took joy at irking the monsters. At one point he even came to watch Papyrus and Frisk run from the spider girl and Flowery.

"Does anyone know who that dog is?" Frisk half expected Chara to answer her. Oh, just the thought of her smug joy annoyed the child. Yet she kept silent.

"Yes and no," said Sans. "We had already known the dog to exist for a while, but we thought little of him. He's a dog. Why bother? Then I got curious about what happening now. It's apparent that people are remembering different things. The time fluctuations aren't all coming from you. I first thought that the flower was doing it, but he hasn't done anything so far. Gaster just showed that he can, but… I think he only recently has been able to do it. So who else appears to be able to control time?"

"That dog," stated Frisk.

"Correct. I don't know how or why, but I get the feeling that if we capture that mutt we will finally learn the truth of this whole mess."

"Yeah!" Papyrus leapt to his feet. "The next time we see that dog we will deliver justice onto it."

"It would be nice to know why all this is happening."

"Frisk." Sans held out his hand. "Give me your phone. I want to give you my phone number."

"Okay. Why do you need it?"

"If you find that dog or meet Gaster again I want you to call me." Sans smile turned almost sinister. His right eye started to glow. Even Papyrus seemed caught off by the pure malice in his voice. "I'm tired of playing games. I want answers."

"Yes sir!" Frisk saluted. "Just a quick question. Gaster acted like he knew you. Why?"

Taking a deep breath, Sans closed his eyes. "We used to work together. That man did something I disagree with and I doubt he'll forgive me for what I had done. Can you just promise me to be careful around him?" That got a nod. "Good." Sitting back down, the skeleton yawned. "You should go to the elevator now. Once there you should be able to take it to the city. Good luck."

"Shouldn't you come with me?"

"Sorry, kid, but this is something you have to do alone. Don't worry though. If you are in trouble just call us. We will be more than happy to help out."

With a nod Frisk went back to the core. No one bothered her. When she reached the stage it was empty. She found the elevator and traveled up to the city. All the while she tried to contact Chara. All she managed to get was a discomforting silence. For the first time in her long trip she was alone.

* * *

Please leave a review. I like to hear people thoughts.


	14. Chapter 14

Enjoy the read.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

With a little ding, the elevator door opened. Frisk stepped outside and a loud horn startled her. She leapt away from a speeding car. It continued down a street where large buildings loomed. Street lights were on. Crystal of a variety of colors formed letters on the signs hanging off of the buildings. Monsters of all sorts marched down the sidewalk. They paused to stare at the human child making her way through the streets.

Frisk ignored the stares the best she could. A pair of monsters stepped up to her and asked if she happened to be the human child. Giving them a nod, she yelped when they screamed in excitement. They saw her fight with Mettaton and were huge fans of her's. They wanted her to take a picture with them.

Smiling, Frisk allowed them to take a picture. The monsters then ran off to tell their friends about the meeting with their hero. However, at the same time she received glares. They accused her of something that she knew little about. Yet they too seemed uncertain to approach her.

Frisk came upon what appeared to be a small plaza. Green space grew between the sidewalks. People crowded together on the grass. They played, they laughed, they hung out, and they enjoyed all under the gaze of a pair of statues. One of them was of a goat boy and the other was in likeness of a human child. Frisk walked up to it to read the plaque.

"Here is a statue to celebrate the union of monsters and humans," stated a deep voice. "They lived, played, and loved each other greatly. Even as we go off to war let us remember that humans too have some love. They are not all filled with pure hatred."

Frisk glanced to be a giant of a man to her side. Purple robes hid his body. Only a pair pointed shoulder guards stood out. A blond bread connected with his long hair. If it wasn't for his goat shape head and the large horns the child would had thought him a large human. Between the horns sat a crown.

"Hello, Asgore." Frisk bowed. "It's an honor to meet the king of this land. Have you come to claim my soul? I will state now that I have no reserve to fight."

"Would you like some ice cream?" With a cheerful, yet sad smile, the king faced the child. "There's an ice cream parlor nearby."

"Sure."

Frisk felt a bit awkward walking beside the king. People stared as a sworn enemy of humans tried to chat with the child. Most of it was small talk. How was your day? Was the walk here from Snowdin nice? It would be a pleasure if there were some rain today. Water sometimes falls from the cracks in the cavern roof.

The child listened for the most part. Another part of her searched for Chara. She never question how her friend knew so much, but her odd remarks had helped the child. Frisk even tempted Chara with chocolate ice cream. Yet the silence remained.

They sat down outside a store that sold nice cream. A rabbit, a cousin to the nice cream guy, brought them out the ice cream in bowls. Accepting her, Frisk shoveled the ice cream into her mouth. A content smile crossed her face.

"This is good!"

"I know," Asgore grinned. "When I'm walking around town, I make sure to come here." He glanced to his right and waved to a bunch of watching monsters. "Would you like to join us? I can pay if you like?" The monsters shook their heads. "Suit yourself."

"How's the garden going?" asked Frisk.

"Well." Asgore clapped his hands. "The flowers are blooming. It's difficult to keep them tended while managing the kingdom, but I have found time." Sighing, he looked to the cavern's roof. "It can be a bit lonely at times. I lived by myself."

"Oh?"

"I used to have a small family. One son and a daughter along with their mother. They were my world, but they are gone now. Those statues are of my children."

"Asriel and Chara."

Asgore nodded. "They were too young, but life does not care at times." The old man grinned. "Let's not dwell on such sad things. Tell me, Frisk, what is it that you want to do with your life?"

"I don't know." The child tilted her head. "An airplane pilot is what I'm going for at the moment. It would be so cool to fly through the air."

"To fly?"

"Yeah. There are things called airplanes that soar through the air." Frisk clapped her hands. "When we get above ground I must show it to you sometime."

"That would be nice."

"Did you know that I will be there?" asked Frisk.

"At the statues? No." Asgore looked down at his melting ice cream. "I just had the want of seeing my kids again."

"Did they go to heaven?"

"To where all good people go when they die." Asgore nodded. "I like to think that they moved on to a better place. They are keeping each other company when needed. I'm sure they'll need it. Unless someone kills me I'm stuck on this world." A board grin crossed his face. "Yet I know that they are alright. If they are together there's nothing… Are you alright?"

Frisk blinked and felt something wet going down her face. She wiped her check and found she was crying. Why? Yet as she thought upon the question she already knew the answer.

"Were Asriel and Chara buried near one another?" asked the child.

"No, I'm afraid not." Asgore tilted his head in confusion. "Why do you ask? Is that some custom with humans?"

"No, it just that… Never mind. So, what do we plan on doing today?"

"I was going to tour the town a little more before going home. Do you have a place to stay?"

"Afraid not."

"Then you can stay with me." The king grinned. "My treat."

Frisk wanted to ask why the king hadn't attacked. Was he waiting to get her near the barrier? Yet she found herself following the king about. Any fear she felt down played by his gentle nature. The king allowed her to go into many shops. He even bought her a hat with horns and a brown sweater. As she placed the items on, she watched as the king played a game of hopscotch with kids. The human thought kings to be regal people that must rule from thier castle. Yet kids tackled Asgore and hung on him as he hopped.

The duo stopped outside of a gardening store to buy supplies. Frisk went over to shelves to look through the seeds. Many of them happened to be food or flowers. Some of which she thought of growing when she got back to the surface. She came to a stop when she spotted a picture of a golden flower. Picking it up, she flipped it in her hands.

"That is what I am growing in my garden," stated the king. Taking it from Frisk, the king looked it over. "In truth, it's the only thing I grow."

"Why?"

"Because they remind me of the past." Putting the seeds away, Asgore sighed. "Let's grab what we need and go home."

Nodding in agreement, Frisk followed Asgore to the castle. As she approached the main structure she noted it loomed all other buildings. Towers skimmed the top of the cave. The king led the way through the halls and many rooms. They came to a point where a wide door frame separated the rest of the castle. Frisk felt her feet drag. Images of dust, blood, and violence assaulted her.

Frisk curled into herself and screamed. Someone that looked like her was killing everyone! Why?!

"Stop it!" Grabbing her head, the child rolled onto her side. A hand fell onto her shoulder, but the imagines just kept assaulting her. Monster, stab, dust, monster, stab, dust, monster, stab, dust, monster, stab, dust. It repeated itself until a skeleton turned her to blood. "It's not me! Someone else is forcing me!"

"Frisk." Asgore picked the child up and held her to his chest. "It's alright. Nobody is going to get hurt. I won't allow it."

Blinking, the child stared at the king. "You promise?"

"I do." Setting Frisk onto her feet, Asgore stood. "Care to follow me in?"

They went through the door and Frisk found soft green grass. A tree grew in the middle of the yard. A house that looked the same as Toriel's was embedded in the wall. Frisk walked in and found it to be the exact same house. Beside for a few changes in the room, everything was the same. Sitting down at the table, Frisk felt a bit of home sickness. Not for the one on the surface, but one with her Mom.

Asgore went into the kitchen to cook and returned with hamburgers and fries. He set it before Frisk and she ate. They sat in silence for a while. The king seemed to want to say something, yet kept it to himself.

"Would you like to go off and play?" Asgore stood. "I got a room which you could go to."

Nodding, Frisk followed Asgore to a room. When she opened it, she found Asgore, Toriel, and Arsiel kneeling before a bed. Chara laid in it. Her skin a sickly pale, yet she smiled. She smiled as her parents begged her to stay and Arsiel held his mouth shut with his hands. They were going to save the world. What could had gone wrong?

The illusion broke when Frisk jumped onto the bed. Was this the same bed that Chara forfeit her life? Laying down, the child pulled the covers over herself. Asgore studied her for a bit before turning the lights off and leaving. The child slept for a good two hours without any problems. Yet as she set up she felt odd. Something should had happened to her by now.

Leaving the room, Frisk searched for the king. She found a note that stated that he was in the garden. Just go down the stairs and you'd find him. Frisk did as told and found herself in the throne room. Bright light flooded onto a wooden floor covered in grass and golden flowers. A single throne stood at the opposite end of the room. Another one had been covered in cloth and hidden away in the back.

Asgore watered his garden with a canteen. "Hey Frisk. Did you enjoy your nap?"

"I guess." Kneeling down, the child smelled the flowers. "How long ago did your kids leave?"

"About seventy years." Asgore said before laughing at Frisk startled expression. "I must look to be in my thirties, tops." Frisk nodded in agreement. "A boss monster can only die when he is killed or if his children feed off of their energy. Odd, but it's just how it works. I'm practically immortal short of an accident."

"That sounds like a lonely life."

Asgore nodded. "I have watch many friends come and go. Yet they always left me with good impressions. I wouldn't trade their time for anything."

"Can I help with the garden?"

"Of course." The king walked over to a bookshelf and took out shears. "I need to thin out the flowers a bit. It helps them grow."

Nodding, the child chopped away at the flowers. At any moments she suspected Flowery to appear out of nowhere. His face contorted into a terrible expression as he laughed. Yet she worked in peace. Asgore hummed as he worked. A soft tune for a just a large person. They worked for hours on end and enjoyed their time together. Once done they returned to the house and watched some television. The child sat in the large man's lap as he flipped on the news. A large chunk of it revolved around Frisk's and Mettahon's fight.

"What did you feel then?" asked Asgore.

"Pardon?"

"I doubt many monsters would know this, but you weren't acting like a normal human. You acted if you were possessed. So tell me, what happened then?"

"I don't know." Frisk stared at her own hands. "As of late, I feel as if a lot of things have gotten out of hand. I and a friend of mine knew something is wrong. We know it is, but we can't see it. Someone is blocking the truth. Yet we are unable to agree how or even if there a way to stop it. Everyone seemed afraid to talk about it." She looked to the king in confusion. "Why?"

"I don't know." Asgore bowed his head. "Though I can understand your feelings. As of late, I have been having rather disturbing dreams about you. In some of them you spare me and I was killed by an odd being. Other dreams told me that you are a ruthless killer who slaughter my people and by the time you came to me all I can do was die. Then there are dreams where we all go up to the surface together."

Closing his eyes, the king forced the tears to stay back. "At first I thought they were little more than a dream and nightmare. Yet as I listen to the reports about you and your odd behavior… We are doing something wrong." Asgore nodded. "For some reason this world refuses to let us move on. We're stuck in this time loop."

"How do we break it?"

"I don't know." Asgore changed the channel to a cartoon show of a dog and his monster. "One thing that I'm certain about is that we should try to think positive. First off, if we fight each other all we are doing is repeating the process."

"That's true."

"And I do have seven human souls." Asgore hummed. "Maybe we can use that to our advantage.

"Could Alphys give them life?"

"Pardon?"

"She managed to bring to life dead monsters. Sure, it didn't turn out as planned, but it still worked in a way. Could she bring the souls back to life?"

"It's possible." Smacking his fist into a palm, the giant man grinned. "Actually, Alphys could probably do it. With seven live humans and with the core's ability to transfer energy…. Frisk, can you please move for a moment." Doing as told, the child leapt off of the king. She sat right back down to watch the television. Asgore marched over to a phone and contacted the scientist.

"Alphys, it's me, Asgore. Why is Undyne with you? Never mind, I might need her help. Frisk solved our problem. Remember how you transferred Mettaton's soul into the machine? Think it would be possible to do that with souls without bodies? Really?! That's great. I'll let you get to that at once."

Slamming the phone down, Asgore pranced on over. "Did you hear that? There may be a way to revive the children."

"Really!" Frisk leapt out of the chair.

"It will take some marvels of technology, but it's possible." Asgore rubbed his hands together. "We need seven humans' souls to break the barrier. The core was originally designed to collect and shoot off energy. If we could just get enough to be useable…."

"Then all the monsters can get out and we don't need to fight each other!"

"Exactly!" Asgore seemed to become brighter, taller. Whatever gloom that held him down before had been lifted. "Now I must get things set in line. If we are to meet the humans soon I must get everything in order."

"Can I help?"

"Of course you can!" Asgore started for the door. "Alphys is going to need assistance and you will be an important part of it. If this works we'll be free at last. No more death. No more fighting!"

"No more time loops?"

"Maybe. Let's hope it works."

. . .

The player watched the characters leave the castle with a smile. Well, that was a nice change from the usual fight. They stilled hope there is a final boss, but maybe things will be set right again. Yet they can't help, but wonder upon the breaking the game part. If they do managed to get through the barrier would they lose their ability over the game?

"It would seem progress has stopped."

The player almost leapt out of their chair.

Gaster materialized on screen with a deep frown. "I see that you still don't understand your task."

"Great, I'm being lectured by a ghost." The player pointed to the screen. "Gaster, why don't you bug off?"

"We need Frisk and Asgore to fight. Without free access to the souls, all of this would have been for nothing."

A pair of dialog boxes appeared on screen. One asked him to confirm his belief of Gaster while the other told him no. The player picked no.

"So you still think you're the master of this world?" The skeleton's eyes started to glow. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" The player huffed. Was a game character trying to scare them? They took the mouse and brought it to Gaster's face. He slapped the pointer to the ground. "Don't you dare touch me, filthy human?"

"What the hell?!"

Gaster's form started to cover the screen. "We have waited for far too long to let luck win the day. Know this, human. The time of retribution has come." The skeleton became one with the screen.

The player pulled on their pointer to find it stuck in place. "Damn it. That's new. What the hell is the skeleton planning?" They blinked upon seeing the screen change senses. To their surprise, they were inside the secret lab. Frisk stood near the table with Mettaton on it. Alphys worked on the robot. His body had been repaired, but his head still had a scuff mark. Undyne leaned against the wall.

"This is getting weird," said Alphys

"Tell me about." Undyne stated. For a brief moment the player thought they addressed them. Their heart settled down when she said the next line. "The crossbeam should had nailed Youtra into the earth."

"Yeah." Alphys shook her head. "I think the producers are just trying play up the drama when there shouldn't be any. At some point you think the animators would just let the poor guy die?"

"Speaking of death, how is Mettaton?" Patting the robot, Frisk bowed her head.

"He'll be alright." The scientist brushed sweat from her head. "I already repaired the main damage and replaced the battery. Now, let's turn him on." Alphys switched a switch. The robot laid still. "Odd… I swear that everything should be in working order."

"Is he alright?" asked Undyne.

"He should be turning on."

Frisk's eyes went wide. "Did I destroy his soul?"

"Mettaton's soul isn't like most monsters. To transfer his soul I created a special container which, in some ways, acts like a human's soul. It wouldn't fall apart that easy."

"Then why isn't he waking up?"

"Just give it a little time. He could be tired."

"He's a robot."

"With a soul. Aren't their times in your life you just want to ignore the world around you?"

"Hey, Alphys." Undyne grabbed Alphys by the shoulder. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm well."

"I meant are you mental sound. You had been acting… rather depressed."

"Sometimes…" Alphys shook her head. "May we talk somewhere else? It hard for me to do so by him."

"Sure."

Yet as they left the player thought that the robot moved. Frisk glanced toward the robot, but it stayed still. Then the screen faded back to black. Leaning back in their chair, the player sighed. If Gaster could be taken to face value he planned on screwing up a good ending. Then the player paused for a moment to think upon that thought.

"Am I getting a good ending? Well, there is only one way to find out."

. . .

Frisk commuted between the true lab and the castle every day. She spent a large chunk of time talking with Alphys over how to make the robots. Tons of it happened to be scientific jargon that the child found difficult to understand. Yet as they sat on the upper floor of the lab to eat noodles she came to understand the basic. The biggest problem was finding a way to get a human soul into a robot without damaging it.

Compared to a monster soul, a human soul could last for a long time. Under normal conditions it might take years for it to finally disappear. When in a regulated environment it was theoretically possible to preserve the soul for centuries. Yet to say a human soul can't be harmed was fool hardly. If handled incorrectly, it can break with ease.

Alphys admitted that the original transformation of Mettaton's soul was hard enough. The details were beyond Frisk, yet the short of it was keeping the soul intact while transforming it. Alphys had learned by putting determination into something she could help maintain the soul. Yet a human soul differed from that from a monster. This was where the child came in. By the use of monitors and machines, Alphys hoped she could come to understand a living human soul first and then work on a dead one.

Frisk loved to help, but she also enjoyed Alphys's company. When she first came over the scientist invited her to play dress up and play roles. Undyne would sometimes join in the role play. Together they would make believe on being magical girls, warriors, teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers and more. Undyne always stated that she doing this as training, but Frisk knew better. Undyne kept near Alphys and the former would blush from time to time.

Finished with the experiments of the day Frisk returned to the castle. Asgore always had a game ready when she entered the house. One day they played a board game, the next he got a game console and the day after that they played dodge ball. They ordered out pizza and fast food or go to a fancy restaurants. The king allowed her to eat whatever she want.

The child loved the attention, but at times she looked up at the king to see a sorrowful expression. His face told her that he was waiting for something bad to happen. Frisk wanted to ask why, but held her silence. She needed to think positive.

Sans and Papyus visited from time to time to hang out. They were always a joy, but Frisk could feel Sans's anxiety rolling off him. His grin failed to slip from his face, but he always had this tense aura around him. The child tried to draw the stress away by playing games. It worked for a while, but even she felt unnerved. Chara refused to speak with her no matter what. She tried everything, from bribes to cursing her out, but her ghostly friend disappeared.

All the while Frisk tried to call Mom. Over and over again she used her phone to contact her, but no one answered. She left messages to tell her how she been. How things were looking up and soon all monsters might be able to leave the underground. Nobody had to get hurt. They just needed the chance to get everything right. She repeated the message until she had little else to say.

This went on for a couple weeks. Asgore walked Frisk up to the lab. Kneeling down, he hugged her.

"I'll be back as usual," stated the king. "Behave yourself."

"Okay."

Entering the lab, Frisk found Undyne and Alphys huddled around the television. They watched something about a magical catgirl. She sat beside them and watched for a while. When it finished the scientist coughed.

"Ready to head down to the lab?"

"Isn't there another way down?" asked the child.

"I didn't design the elevator." Alphys sighed. "I have been trying to get that fixed for a while now. Undyne, we're going downstairs."

"Have fun with the nerd stuff." The knight stood. "I'm going to train for a bit."

Frisk would never get use to the elevator slamming into the true lab. As she stumbled out one of the undead blobs came up to her. Buying chips from the machine, she feed them to the blobs who then wondered off.

"Shouldn't those guys be going home soon?" asked Frisk.

"I have been contacting families and making arrangement," stated Alphys. "They are staying here until their families can pick them up. Now, let's go right on over to the recording machines, shall we?"

Frisk sighed. "How long do we have to keep doing this boring stuff?" Entering a room, Frisk stared at the many computer and instruments. She sat down in a chair. "We have been doing this for a while now."

"And we'll going to do this a while longer." The scientist brought over a pair of pads attached to wires. "I and my predecessors have been able to study monsters' souls for ages, but only Gaster and I had been able to study humans' souls. Two live ones and… you get the point." Frisk placed the pads onto her chest as before. Alphys sat down at the machine. "At the moment we need to learn what container we can even put a human soul in. Getting an exact read on your soul is hard when our equipment isn't built for it and it is strong."

"Haven't you done readings on the other humans?"

"Yes, but after they are dead. A dead human soul is weaker than a living one, though still far stronger than a monster."

Sighing, Frisk held her place as the scientist did her thing. She wished she could watch T.V., but Alphys forbid it. The scientist claimed that the television might mess up the test results. The child believed that the scientist just wanted her to die of boredom.

After a short while of work, the machines started to act up. Screens started to turn blue and computers turned off. Grumbling under her breath, the scientist checked the equipment. With a shake of her head she walked over to the door.

"We are going to have to take a short break," declared Alphys. "The machine is acting up. I'm going to look around to see if I downloaded a virus somewhere." She left the room. "Maybe it was a bad idea to use the main computer to download that free anime."

"Can I move?" shouted Frisk.

"As long as you stay in the area."

With a nod the child took off the pads and hopped off. She went over to the machines and tried to figure them out. Of course, the young child had little idea what she was doing. She loved to play with computers, but had little reason to fix them. As she pressed the button on one of the screens a shriek echoed through the lab.

"Alphys?!" Rushing through the halls, Frisk checked the rooms for the scientist. She kept at it until she came upon a small room with a metal table. The child trembled upon spotting a mound of clothed dust with a knife sticking out of it. "Alphys…" Marching over to the dust, she picked up the knife. "No… This is a bad dream."

Yet horrible images of monster after monster being turned to dust flashed into her head. Grabbing her head, she bent over. Tears threatened to pour from her. She shook her head in disbelief. Looking up, she stared at the empty table for a bit.

Wasn't this Mettaton's room?

"What's going-"

Frisk turned around and spotted Undyne in the doorway. Her expression between shock and betrayal. Frisk had the knife in hand, a pile of dust beside her, and a missing robot. At that moment the child wished Chara would speak. It would at least help Frisk to calm down.

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Please leave a review.


	15. Chapter 15

eNjOy this Merry littlE chapter. i enjoy wRiting it sinCe it gavE another look into a character who had little mercY in their life.

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Chapter Fifteen

A spear formed in Undyne's hands as her mouth spread out into a chilling snarl. Dropping the knife, Frisk held up her hands. She took shallow breaths as she staggered back into the table. Her body told her to run, but fear froze her to the spot.

"Undyne," said Frisk, "I know what it looks like, but I didn't do it. You have to believe me!" The knight trembled. "Please, you know that I wouldn't hurt Alphys. I don't know what happened. One moment she was okay and the next she…" Tears slipped from the child's eyes. "Why would I even kill Alphys?"

"To take her soul."

"But monster's souls don't last after death."

Marching on over, Undyne grabbed Frisk's by the shoulder. She hauled her off of her feet and carried her back to the castle. She placed Frisk in front of the kitchen table while keeping a firm grip on her. Going through some paperwork, Asgore looked up to see the two and frowned.

"We are going to take her over to the barrier." Undyne let go of Frisk and she rushed over to the king.

"Asgore!" Grabbing hold of an arm, Frisk hid her face in it. "Someone killed Alphys and Undyne thinks I did it!"

"Undyne! Frisk would never do such a thing." The king looked to his best guard and saw the rage barely contained in the tense body. "Frisk, go call Sans and Papyrus. We might need them to help keep things from getting out of control."

Nodding, the child called up the skeletons.

"Hello," said Sans.

"Alphys is dead and Undyne wants to take me to the barrier to make sure that I didn't kill her."

"We'll be right over kid."

The skeleton brothers walked in from the other room. Closing his phone, Sans took a look at Undyne and sighed.

"Undyne!" Grabbing the fish woman, Papyrus shook his head. "What are you thinking?! There is no way that the human would had harm Alphys."

"I just need to make sure."

Sighing, the king stood. "Come on. If it makes Undyne happier, we can cross off one suspect." Asgore lead them through the throne room and into a short hallway. Entering a room, Frisk stared up at amazement at the shimmering walls. It appeared as if a flashing gray and white light led to a small point into the distance.

Asgore came to a stop. "This here is the barrier. If Frisk can pass it then we're screwed. If not, then everything is alright."

"Go on ahead kid." Sans held a hand out to Undyne. "I'm ready to keep you safe."

Nodding, Frisk stared off. She stopped when a glass tube almost hit her in the shin. Everyone stared as seven container appeared. Six of them housed six humans' souls.

"It looks like I'm forced to do this." Frisk leapt back as vines tore through the glass. They grabbed hold of the souls and dragged them over to Flowey.

"Restart now Frisk." The flower head was bowed, almost looking like he was begging. "Please."

"Why?"

Silence answered her.

"Then no."

"So be it."

"Who the hell the flower?" asked Sans.

"That's my friend." Waving a hand at Flowey, Papyrus marched on over. "How are you today?"

The flower tilted his head up. A look of pure determination sat upon it. Vines popped out of the ground and snared the monsters. Startled, Asgore and Undyne struggled while Sans held his place. Yet the child remained free.

Frisk stared at Flowey in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"This." For a brief moment a bright light filled the room. When it cleared Asriel stood there as he had stood in life. For a moment he looked down at his hands and sighed. Grabbing the side of her head, Frisk winched as it pounded. Each new memory dragged razors through her skull. She hated the feeling. Yet the more she felt the more certain that she learned something important.

"Asriel." Frisk smiled. "It's good to see you again."

"I know we don't know each other well." The goat boy held his hands out. "I wish that we have more time and the ability to speak more. Yet you have to trust me. Restart the game." Bowing his head, he sniffed. "Continue and this world will be damaged."

"Let it be damaged." Frisk glanced around for her friends to find that she was alone. They must had been absorbed by Arisel. "I don't understand everything, but I do know that I'm not the only reason for this time loop. If this will break it, then so be it."

"Frisk…"

"I'm tired." Bowing her head, the child growled. "I want to go home and I'm sick of all this. Are you going to fight me Asriel?"

"Of course."

"Then goodbye!" Frisk ran away.

The goat stood stunned for a moment. "Frisk!"

If the child wanted to break the game then she needed to go against what was expected. She just got outside the house before a laser beam cut through the building. Finding a save point, the child saved her game before making it for the city. To her surprise, monsters were still running about. Many of them seemed confused as to why their friends, family, neighbors, or strangers just disappeared.

A group of flame people spotted Frisk and started her way. They stopped when a roar ripped through the city. They turned to the castle to see one of its walls collapsed. Floating through the air, Asriel had forgone his child form. Almost as tall as his dad, the adult wore a robe similar to his mother's-the only real difference was the shoulder pads. Small horns grew out of his head and a pair of black lines ran under his eyes.

"Stop it, Frisk!" shouted the goat man.

"Who the hell is that?!" shouted one of the flame people.

Ignoring them, Frisk kept running. She had little idea on what to do, but she just need to mess everything up. Her best thought happened on going to the elevator. So she ran in that direction. Just as she pressed the button it opened up. Toriel stepped out and blinked in surprise.

"Mom!" shouted Frisk.

"Frisk?!" Toriel pulled the child into a hug. "Are you alright?"

"I'm running!"

"From what?"

Pointing to the Toriel's son, Frisk giggled. "Say hello to your son."

"What?!"

Asriel spotted the elevator and shoved his hands forward. He paused upon seeing who it was. "Mom?"

"We're out of here." Bringing Frisk into the elevator, Toriel closed the door. "We're going back to the ruins and see if Chara is alive. That or maybe stop in Snowdin to see if they got medicine." She placed a hand to her head. "I think I'm going insane."

"No, that was Asriel and he's kind of upset at the moment."

"Why?"

"Because he wants me to reset the world."

"Frisk, I love you. I walked all the way here to make sure you're alright, but once we get home we need to find a doctor. Did you hit your head at some point?"

The child started to say no, but stopped when the elevator shook. Holding out her arms, Toriel's eyes narrowed. Frisk grabbed onto her robes.

A pair of swords pierced through the side of the elevator. Within five cuts the metal gave away to reveal Asriel. His scowl became a yelp when Toriel shot him in the chest with fire balls.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!" Pulling away, smacked the fire away from his chest.

The elevator got to the bottom level and Toriel shooed Frisk out the door. "We need to get away from him."

"I don't know if that is possible," stated Frisk.

"Why not?"

"He absorbed six humans' souls and enough monsters to take on that form."

Slapping her face, Toriel growled. "Asgore is good at heart, but by the gods above he can be just an… Never mind. Six souls or not he is not getting his hands on you. I will not allow it." Toriel looked up and frowned. "This isn't the level with the river man."

"Hey look," shouted a person. "It's the kid."

A bunny and a dragon in black suits marched over to them. "Hey kid. What are you doing here?"

"And who's the old lady?"

Grabbing Frisk by the hand, Toriel started off. "We're busy and need to go home."

"Come on now." The royal guards marched alongside the duo. "We are supposed to keep the kid safe. If something happened to him then the king will be upset with us."

"I would like to avoid that," stated the dragon.

Sighing, Toriel turned around. "Alright then. I, Queen Toriel, order you two to help defend this child."

"You're the Queen!" shouted the duo in union. They got on their knees.

"We're sorry your highness." The bunny started to say more, but Toriel whacked him aside the helmet.

"Do you hear only what you want?! We need to defend Frisk."

"From who?"

Frisk giggled as Asriel landed nearby. Part of his robes were burned and his face red from anger.

Toriel jabbed a finger at Asriel. "He is trying to harm Frisk and claims to be my decreased son. He also stole the human souls and killed several monsters."

Leaping to his feet, the royal guards whirled on the goat boy. "We will not let you continue!"

"I never said that he killed anyone," stated Frisk. "He did, however, force people to do his will."

Toriel stepped away from Frisk to stand with the guards. "Surrender or suffer."

Clapping a hand to his forehead, Asriel sighed. "Oh, for the love of… What are you three going to do?" He jabbed a hand forward and a large beam shot out. The trio scattered. Frisk found a place to sit down and watched the show. "I'm more powerful than anyone down here! What is a couple of minor characters and an old goat going to-"

The royal guards body slammed him. Stunned, Asriel stumbled back. Toriel rushed in from behind and fired a barrage of flames. Everyone last one met a mark. Gritting his teeth, Asriel spun around. The blade cut through his mother's shoulder, but she then grabbed the hand and set it a flame.

Biting back a howl, the goat man summoned a second blade in hand. Yet one of the guards rushed and forced Asriel to block. The goat boy yelped when the sword fell away. As Frisk watched the three beat up Asriel she had to wonder how much battle experience Asriel had. Yes, he stated that as flower he had caused some major damage. Yet sneaking up on people and doing them harm was a bit different then from trained soldiers had on.

Actually, Toriel was doing a majority of the bashing. The two guards stepped back as they watched their queen landed blow after blow on Asriel. The assaulted lashed back. Beams, swords, and bullets struck for flesh. Yet Frisk could see the tears welling up in his eyes. His will to fight was weak; Toriel proved that, when she wanted, she could do damage. At that moment Frisk realized if her mother wanted to, she could have easily kept her in the ruins.

Asriel recoiled back form a fire punch. "Enough!" Wings spring from his back and slapped Toriel away. "I don't want to kill you, but you leave me no choice." He started to swing his arms forward. Springing to her feet, Frisk tossed her arms forward and caught his arms with purple lines. "What?!"

Before Asriel could do anything else, Frisk jumped him from behind and hugged him. "Aren't you tired of all this?"

"Let go!" Snapping the strings, Asriel reached for the child. "Frisk! You need to stop being so stubborn and restart everything."

"Aren't you tired of being part of these time loops?" Frisk held on while the goat boy struggled. Toriel and the guards stood ready, but Frisk pleaded through her eyes to keep away. "I know that you don't want to do this anymore, Asriel. How many times do you have to watch your loved ones leave you behind?"

"Shut up."

"How many times was I forced to leave you behind?"

Tears started to pour down Asriel's face. "Frisk. We are already far out of bounds. If we keep doing this the world will break."

"Is that a bad thing?" Frisk tightened her hold. "You remember everything, don't you?" Asriel held his silence. "They weren't all good, was it? I want to go home, but I want everyone down here to be happy. The only way to do that is to break whatever trap we are in. So please, Asriel, help me. Give me your knowledge so this can all end."

"I'm tired," declared the young man. "I just want it all to end." Toriel's eyes grew wide as Asriel turned back to child form. "Why do I have to be left behind?!" Rubbing his eyes, he sobbed. "Why?! Why?!"

Toriel held her hands out, but held back. "No… You're dead. I saw you turn to ash in the castle."

"I'm not alive." The son smiled through his tears. "At least, not in the normal sense of the word, Mom. How are you? I hope you're doing alright."

Marching on over, Toriel kneeled down and brushed her hand on her child's cheek. "You're alive."

"I guess so."

"Um…" The dragon knight observed the scene in confusion. "Does this mean we stop fighting now?" Placing a hand on his lover's shoulder, the bunny pulled him away.

Shaking her head, Frisk rushed over. "Come on guys! Don't just sit there."

Toriel reached forward to hug Asriel.

"Nope!"

A strong gust swoop in. Yelping, the goat boy flew off his feet.

"What the?!" Scrambling to her feet, Toriel ready her flames. "What are you doing? I'll…" She became quiet as Mettaton landed on the ground. A smile spread across his face. Yet when Frisk looked him in the eyes she knew that it wasn't him.

A single red eye glowed as a sweet, almost innocent smile crossed her face. "Sorry, Mom, but I need him to right the wrong of the world."

"Chara." The mom just kneeled there. "How?"

Sensing something wrong, Frisk threw herself at the two.

"Sorry, Mom." The robot rose her fingers. "I wished that we can have a family reunion, but I can't stop what must be done."

Just as Frisk tackled Chara's leg, she felt herself be pulled away from the world. When she let go she stumbled back and paused. The world around them had turned into darkness. When she moved her feet no sounds came. Light had forsaken the place. The only things one could see happened to be the three people who teleported her.

Dropping Asriel, Chara spread her arms. "Welcome to the void. This is what happen when you abuse the world, but don't have enough power to change it." The robot looked to Asriel. "Or someone who's too stupid to do something productive with their god like power." She punched Asriel on the head. "Like, I don't know, bring me back to life!"

"But I thought Frisk was you." Pulling into himself, the goat boy whimpered. "You looked rather similar."

"Oh god." Shaking her head, Chara growled. "You don't know how much I want to trash you right now. First you betray me, then you came back to life and couldn't even bother to become a god until Frisk come along. Then, instead of changing the rules of the world, you just tried to reset it." Taking a deep breath, the robot sat down. "You know what? Forget it. That's all in the past." Chara grabbed her brother's chin. "Right now, we need to focus on the future."

"Excuse me!" Frisk waved her hands. "I'm still here."

"Oh, that's even better." Pulling away, the robot grinned. "You're probably wondering what going on? Well, I best start with the fact that we're stuck in a game."

"No!" Popping into existence, a white dog scrambled over. "Shut up right-"

Whirling around, Chara kicked the annoying dog in the face. She smiled as it flew through the air. "That feels so good to do."

"Chara…" Asriel stood. "I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Asriel," said Frisk, "Please be quiet for a moment and let me hear what she has to say."

"Thank you!" Chara punched her fist in the air. "Finally, someone who willing to listen to me for once. Oh, and Asriel, I remember your comment about me being a bad person." Offering a shrug, the goat child stepped behind Frisk. "Oh yeah, the kid who refused to hit anyone is going to defend you. I would love to see that."

Sitting down, Chara yawned. "Frisk, as I stated before, we are inside a game- a video game to be exact." The child held her silence to listen, but she looked to the ground. Memories of death and joy flashed through her mind. "Think it's crazy? Hell, they don't even try to hide the fact with the save points and load! What about Flowey talking about this all being a game? Remember that?" Frisk nodded. "I don't know if he knew the truth or only had a hinting of it, but he noticed it as well."

Spreading her arms out, Chara chuckled. "We're nothing more than someone's play toy. That dog I kicked was the representation for some guy named Toby." She snorted. "Toby… when I learned of god, I would had thought he would've had a cooler name."

"So the memories…" said Frisk.

"They're real, but they are different routes in the game. Every time you got to the end the player forced you to restart and without your memories." Chara grinned. "Though I would admit that I forced him to do so once."

"After I killed all the monsters." Dropping to her knees, Frisk stared to cry.

"No!" Chara leaped to her and grabbed Frisk's by the shoulder. "Not you. The player did it! They forced all of us to live terrible lives. I brought you three here to stop this damn cycle!" She looked to the skies. "With our combine might we can destroy this game."

. . .

"Excuse me!" shouted the player. "I don't remember this as part of the deal!"

As if Chara heard them, she laughed. "You're probably shocked by the turn of the events? I never planned on staying stuck here. Not after I learn the truth of who the real puppet master is doing behind it all."

"Chara," said Asriel, "What do you mean that we can break the game?"

"We can break the game and remake into whatever we want." On Mettaton's face, the flashing red eyes with the devilish smile chilled the player. "Better yet, we might just take the fight to the true enemy."

"Wait," said Frisk, "Let's say that you're correct in what you state. How the hell are we going to break the game? A lost child, a timid goat, and a robot are going to try to overpower what might as well be god. How?"

"There are two reasons to why I think we can succeed." Chara held up her hand. "One, we are the three cornerstones of the game. Frisk, you are the hero who can beat down gods in game. I'm not trying to pick on you brother, but you are the villain who pretty much screw up the world several times."

Hanging his head, the goat child sighed. "I can't deny that."

"And I'm both the narrator and link to the entire game." Chara chuckled darkly. "You two must remember what I did at the end of the player… bloodlust run."

At any moment the player expected for a dialogue box to pop out. Instead, Frisk curled into a ball and stated to tremble. Soft whimpers escaped from her.

"Make them stop," begged the child.

Two dialogue boxes appeared. One of them asked 'Make what stop?' while the other appeared as three dotted lines. The player pressed on the first box. He lurched back when Frisk erupted into sobs.

"I don't want to do it." Frisk body trembled as tears curved streams into her face. "I couldn't control myself."

"That's right, Frisk." Chara offered a sweet smile. "Remember all the terrors that the player placed you through. Remember the hell he created in this world."

"But Chara did it?!" proclaimed the player. "I was just playing the game!"

Yet Frisk just held her place and wept. Asriel started to cry as well and his tears seemed to match his friend. Sitting down, he wrapped his arms around his legs.

"Why do I have to be left behind?" asked the goat kids. "I wanted to be with my friends."

"That's right." Chara kneeled down and hugged Asriel. "I'm sorry little brother. We failed before, but now we have the chance to make it right. All we need to do is break the game itself. We can't do it alone. We're going to need all the help we can get. If there's one flaw Toby built into this system, it is allowing us to be able to take control. Let's abuse the hell out that rule."

"Does that mean we have to hurt more people?" Standing on wobbling legs, Frisk shook her head. "No… I won't do that."

"Pardon." Chara tightened her grip around Asriel. "Don't you remember our deal, partner. To work with one another as we go through the worlds."

"You made that deal with the player. I didn't agree to anything."

By the point the player was starting to get annoyed with the game and Chara. What was that little psychopath think she was doing? If the game won't let them continue then they might as well force it to restart. Taking the mouse, they went for the exit button. Yet when they clicked on it the X button disappeared.

"Hey!" The player reached for the minimization, but the frame swallowed it.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gaster's appeared on screen, but he appeared different this time. His body had become thin and well defined. His head was clearly that of a skeleton with a crack going down his right side of his head. "You're going to miss the best part of the show."

"Frisk, are you willing to defend the demon?" Chara's eyes started to narrow. Asriel started to whimper as her sister's grip crushed him.

"No… if there is a person doing that, then I wish they are punished. Yet I know what you want Chara." Frisk wiped an arm across her eyes. "To get what you want, you would kill so many innocent people. May they be of this world or of the 'real' one. How many are going to suffer because of your anger?"

Gritting her teeth, Chara growled. "Do you think that anything will happen if we keep going on giving? Mercy… Mercy will bring only prolong pain." Hauling the goat boy off his feet, the fallen angel started to laugh. "Don't you understand? There isn't a second option! I want there to be one, but there isn't. Please…" The fallen child bowed her head as tears collected in her eyes. "Why won't you understand?" A look of enlightenment brighten her face. "I get it now. The player is forcing you to do their bidding again."

"No…" Frisk shock her head. "At least, I like to think I'm in control."

"Asriel, it's about time that we take charge of this world."

The goat child yelped as he started to meld with Chara's heart. "What are you doing?"

"I'm ending what the player started. Complete genocide."

Frisk just stood there as the world around them disappeared. The player blinked when the screened trembled. Cracks appeared on the walls. Chuckling, Gaster faded with the background. His twisted smile told of the terror to come.

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Do you have any chocolate? This **r** eally might help the sit **u** atio **n**.


	16. Chapter 16

One of human's greatest tricks is the ability of self-deception.

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Chapter Sixteen

Frisk blinked in confusion. Getting to her feet, a cold breeze slapped her in the face. The bright sun shined down upon her. Last thing she remembered was being underground or whatever that void happened to be. Now she stood in a field of grass growing around buildings. The towering giants' windows scattered on the ground and walls weakened by plant growth. Cars sitting out in the streets had long rusted. If there was life it stayed out of sight.

Marching through the streets, Frisk almost tripped over her own feet. She stepped into a puddle and looked down at herself. The woman yelped in surprise. Her age had advanced a good number of years. Her body had grown tall with an average frame. She pressed a hand into her small breast and surprised by the softness. Her hair curled a bit, but had grown only an inch.

What surprised her the most was her clothing. Bandages covered her arms. A pair of boots accompanied rainbow colored socks. A button up, blue shirt haphazardly tucked into green shorts.

"Why am I grown up? What the hell did Chara do?"

Frisk explored the city. From time to time she peered inside a building in search of anyone. The buildings were empty of souls. Coming to an intersection, Frisk paused when a woman rushed by. Dirty and beaten the woman shoved past Frisk. Frisk was going to call after her, but a blossom of red erupted from the stranger's head.

The sound of gunfire drew Frisk's attention to the top of one of the buildings. Kneeled down a green speck laughed. It hopped off the building and dropped twenty stories. Upon landing, a large crater formed and dust flew up in the air. Frisk held out her arms as the ground shook.

Slinging a rifle over her shoulder, Chara stood. She was shorter than Frisk and had a rather handsome face. Dark red eyes gleamed with joy behind a pair of goggles. Her hair had been tied back into a short ponytail. A leather jacket hanged off her frame and opened to show the dark green and yellow striped shirt under it. A brown skirt went down to her knees.

"Hey Frisk." The smaller woman waved her hand. "It's about time you showed up. I thought you got lost or something."

"You just killed that person." Frisk trembled.

"Oh, that." Shrugging, the gunwoman marched over to the body. A blue soul hovered over it. "Yeah, it's a bit saddening, but it's all for a good cause." She picked the soul up and tossed it into her mouth. As she munched on it she spoke. "You know, after that first genocide with the monsters, it isn't so hard killing people. The only thing I can complain about is the taste of souls." Swallowing, Chara stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Humans' souls are bitter."

Snapping her fingers, Chara summoned a chocolate bar wrapped in paper. Her face decorated it and bold letters on the bottom of the bar declared it the Naughty Bar. "I always got rid of the taste with chocolate." With a gleeful smile she munched away at the treat. "It sure is great to be able to eat again."

"What happened to you?" asked Frisk.

"Once I absorbed Asriel, I went back in time to claim my soul." Holding her right arm out, a soul appeared in the palm of Chara's hand. Half of it red while the other a dim gray. "For some odd reason I can only get this mismatched soul. So now I'm half human and half monster." She tilted her head and grinned. "Isn't that great."

"Did you kill everyone?" asked Frisk in mocking good cheer.

"I absorbed the monster souls, then the six humans souls, broke the barrier and started claiming all the human souls in the world." Pouting, Chara tossed the rifle into the air and with a snap of her fingers it disappeared. "Humans are the rats of primates! They hide so well it took me years to find them." A tired smile formed. "Yet I did it. I almost have everything to make my final assault on God."

Clasping her hands together, Chara stared at the ground. "I know you said no before, but please help me."

Frisk wanted to shout for this to stop. That the scene of a schoolgirl crushing on her lover seemed incomparable with the dead body that laid nearby. Yet here was an innocent Chara. Her only desire to bring justice to those who done the world wrong. Even if that meant ignoring the suffering it brought.

"Chara…" Frisk bowed her head. "Do you even know that breaking the game won't just kill us all?"

"Is that a bad thing?" The red-eyed woman appeared confused. "After watching the player screw everything up just for the fun of it and his ability to do it all again…" That smile became a bit more desperate. "You're lucky, Frisk. When the game goes through a true restart you forget everything. I'm still stuck with the memories." She smacked a hand to the side of her head. "But that's okay now. Soon, we can just break the cycle, punish the player, and live happily ever after. We can bring everyone back and remove the bad memories. We're just data, after all."

Swinging her arm out, Chara started to laugh. "All you need to do is surrender your soul to me once more."

"Why?"

"Because I want to be together." Chara hugged Frisk. "Don't you remember now? We promised each other to be partners till the end. Now that I got my brother back, I can break the game. Yet it would be meaningless if you don't join us. We are the heroes of this world. The one to break the chains and defeat the true evil."

"Chara." Frisk chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head. "I don't exactly disagree, but you had been avoiding my question the entire time. How many people are you going to kill? Answer me now!"

The smaller woman smile disappeared. "It's the only way. It's unavoidable."

"No, you think that way." Pushing Chara off, Frisk pocketed her hands. "I refuse to believe that all the death you created is the best for anyone. Not for me, not for Asriel, and certainly not for you."

"Then you refuse to join me."

"Chara, I am you're friend. When your friend does something stupid you try to stop them."

Hiding her face behind her hand, the smaller woman sighed. "That's sad, really. I know that in this timeline and your personality made you more of a good person." She started to chuckle. "I hate and like that about you, but now isn't the time for you to be so merciful. You're still an anchor to this world." Frisk yelped as the ground below here started to shake. A black liquid started to drip off Chara's chin. "If you will not join me, then I will just have to enforce my will against you."

"I am not scared of you Chara." Frisk took a step back. "I saw your past. You were a good, if flawed person. Please, you don't have to do this."

Moving her hand, the fallen child reveled her right eye. It had disappeared into a withering darkness. Liquid as black as night flowed from her mouth. "That is where you are wrong, partner."

The ground started to tear apart. Large, spiky vines ripped through the streets. Leaping back, Frisk just avoid being hit by a large, fleshy mouth. High pitch laughter struck the air as a television set with a pair of red eyes and a jagged mouth formed on top of an odd creature. Below the television four pair of eyes forms. A pair of giant arms formed in front of the beast. It ends tipped with red claws.

Yet something was wrong. Frisk remembered her fight with this terrible Flowey and the television screen seem off. The eyes were dull, the white screen flickered on and off, and he appeared almost hollow. Even the soulless flower showed a bit of personality in his fight.

"I'm going to get out of here!" Frisk opened her save panel, but when she pressed the button Gaster's face appeared. Odd symbol filled her sight. "Hey?!"

"Who said you were in control anymore?!" screamed Chara.

. . .

The player gulped. Flowey seemed to fill up the intersections and his vines traveled for several blocks. Yet what scared him was Chara. Her eye returned to normal, but there was a bloodlust shine in them. Folding her arms, the fallen child nodded.

"That's right, Frisk. Just like with Omega Flowery you are unable to save and load. The difference here is that I'm not going to torment you for the fun of it. Oh no." Throwing her arms out, her lips pulled back in a glorious grin. "No, once the hero has set you free I will absorb your soul and make it one of my greatest allies among our swarm."

"Swarm?" asked the player.

Chara started to glow. "Though this outfit is inappropriate. Let change into something a bit more…edgy." With a snap of her fingers the fallen child summoned a plain, golden crown to her head. Her jacket melded with her shirt to form a dark green shirt littered with holes. The tattered, detached sleeves almost covered her arms. The Dreemurr's family symbol sat in the middle of her chest. That area had been redden by blood. A pair of blue jean filled with holes tucked away into a pair of boots.

"And now for the finishing touch!" Throwing her arms out, Chara grinned as hundreds, thousands, maybe millions of souls flew from her back to form wings. The left wing was composed of monsters' souls while the right was created by humans' souls. They crashed, whirled, and melded together. Looking at the wings too long, the player started to feel sick. "I have the entire world at my disposal."

The screen flickered to battle mode. Yet for Flowey to fit onto it he sat on top of the box. Chara appeared to as a dot on top of his head. Gulping, the player readied themselves.

"Aw… are we really going to do this mode of combat?" Shrugging, Chara grinned. "I might as well make an impression." The player gulped as the words Chara Dreemurr, in large bold letters, slammed into the fighting box. The box cracked on impact. "Oops, I got a little carried away with that. Don't crack up about it. It isn't that funny."

"Oh, shut up." The player went to the action button to find only the examine button. He clicked on it. His eyes grew wide as the number 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999-there was a hell lot more of that!- filled the box for just the attack. Frisk didn't bother to check the defense. She was trembling in fear.

"So you finally get how pointless it is to resist me."

Chara chose not to attack.

"She think that little of me!" Growling, the player clicked on the attack button. "Let's see how you like this." They knew it was a pointless gesture, but they were shocked by the next set of words.

Fighting her seemed rather dumb. Can't you think up a better idea?

"Um…"

"Let's move this to a more realistic level, shall we?" Chara snapped her finger and the world flashed back into the scenery. Frisk, oblivious to the game fighting system, seemed confused. "There. Now you can see how much pain you cause for Frisk."

With a flap of her wings, Chara shot hundreds of souls at Frisk. Gulping, the player started smashing buttons. The arrows keys worked, but Frisk started to jump. Since when could she do that? She ate a pie on accident when the souls struck the avatar. The player cringed as Frisk flew backward. She appeared as stunned as the player.

"Sorry Frisk," said Chara. "If the player would just give up this would be over already."

Laughing, Chara leapt off of the monster and summoned a trident to hand. She slammed it into the earth. As this took place the player finally figured out at least the basic game play. Arrow keys seemed to be quick summoning. W allowed Frisk to jump while A is the action bar. F equaled fighting while E served as the item box. They could change heart modes with the Q button. Simple enough, right?

Portions of the ground glowed. Violets, roses, dandelions, buttercups, sunflowers, purple glories, bushes, shrubs, and trees sprouted form the buildings and streets. Having a bad feeling about them, the player had Frisk run away. That ended when a thick root caught Frisk by the foot.

Yelping, Frisk fall to the ground and dragged about. Laughter came from the trees as faces appeared. Some were humans while others were monsters. A weeping willow picked Frisk off the ground and stared at her. The woman started to speak, but paused upon seeing Sans' face. His eyes were flickering from blue to yellow as he wept.

"Let's play pass the Frisk!" Chara got into a batter stance. "I'm open!"

"Don't Sans!" shouted Frisk.

The tree tossed the woman. Chara swung her trident and sent Frisk toward a pear tree. That tree slammed smacked her to a lily and therefor. The player cringed with each hit. One of the flowers missed and Frisk slammed into a building. Falling a story, she landed on her back.

"Hm…" Tapping her lip, the queen stared at the skies. "I'm bored already. Let's see what happens if there no more gravity."

Frisk struggled to stand on trembling feet. Blood leaked from her forehead. As she started to move her arms they made a horrible popping and crackling sound. Tears build up in her eyes, but she refused to let them pour out. She tried taking a step and air greeted her feet. Yelping, the beaten Frisk scrambled for some sort of grounding.

Yet even the buildings tore away earth as they rose. Flowey stayed in place with the plants, but Chara flew up. Humming to herself, she jabbed her hand this way and that. Chocolate coins appeared in the air. Clouds of cotton candy melded together to form dancing skeletons. Landing on top of a building, Frisk paused to stare at a jaw breaker crushing through a building until it was reduced to dust.

The screen started to flash red. Sighing in frustration, the player searched for the green mode and tried to heal. All they managed to do was put up the shield. Pressing the arrows keys, they managed to get the shield to move about. Useful, but it wasn't what they needed.

"Are you having a hard time with the controls?" Appearing on a neighboring building, Chara yawned. "Can't seem to control yourself." Chara snapped a finger. The player pressed on the on button and… Jet feet went off and Frisk dove through the building. Feet first she bashed through the a dozen or so floors. By the time she came out the other end her legs were bent in awkward angles.

Frisk then hit a chocolate coin and exploded. Chunks of candy and blood flew through the air. The woman landed upon a floating track. Her form still while her heart scattered.

Landing in front of the body, Chara yawned. "Are you done already? Geez, you are flimsy as a pacifist." A moment later and Frisk's heart reformed and her body healed. Pushing off the tracks, she stared Chara in the eyes. "Just surrender and I will stop." The options came and the player pressed no. "Stubborn aren't we?" Fazing through the tracks, Chara grinned. "Incoming!"

Frisk looked up in time to see a roller coaster pulled by Papyrus slammed into her. Twirling through the air, she yelled. Yet gravity refused to pull her down. She kept twirling passed the tracks as a small army of Undyne fired lollypop machine guns at Frisk and she dead again.

The player grew more frustrated with the passing minute. They could only get Frisk under control for a few seconds at most before Chara screwed things up. Did they finally get used to the lack of gravity? Chara summoned a floating ocean of water where Asgore with an army of snowflakes assaulted the drowning Frisk. Next she sent Frisk to a barren planet where Toriel used pies to cut everything down.

Yet as the player sat back and glared at all of thi,s one thing struck him. Chara was being rather childish. For someone who supposed to be cold and evil she was having a ball. She always screwed with the game play, but refused to get directly involved. Her smile had a sad edge to it. Her red eyes appeared dull. Each time she asked Frisk to surrender her shoulders sagged more and more.

At one time the player even got a chance to flee, but before he got far Flowey appeared. With an odd chuckle he killed Frisk with a laser beam. This kept going until Frisk just stopped. Her body floated through the air. The world returned back to the city, but with a lot of debris scattered everywhere.

Laying on the ground, Frisk's held her place. Her soul refused to reappear. Landing nearby, Chara lifted the body up and pulled it into a hug. Tears trailed down her cheeks, but a relief smile accompany it.

"It's done."

A gray door appeared and Gaster stepped out. His hands started to move. Two sets of characters appeared on screen. The first was Wing Dings while the second were in plain English.

"It's sad that it must be this way." Gaster stood over Frisk's body. "Unable to compete with the souls of millions, it would be surprising if Frisk's soul survives."

"It's their fault."

"I agree." Gaster turned to Chara. "The extra dimensions breaker is about ready. Once completed we can move on."

"Then this is the last chance for me to address the player."

Laying Frisk's body on the ground, Chara kissed her on the head. "Well, here it is. It time for your judgment." She turned to the player. "Here is the final path you have chosen."

"Pardon?" The player glanced to the upper corner of the screen. Somehow the exit button and the minimized had reappeared. Maybe now would be a good time to bail.

"You didn't earn any L.O.V.E in this timeline, but you think that's so grand, do you?" Chara bowed her head. "You did get your happy ending and then you went straight to killing everyone. You think yourself so great, don't you? Safe and sound behind that screen while you torture people…" Her wings started to vibrate. "Hold up a second." She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up to revel her scarred cover belly. A knife appeared in hand.

The player gulped when Chara plunged the knife into herself. The souls quivered and then became still. Yanking the knife out, Chara took a deep breath. Her breathing was uneven until she got a hand to her chest and started to heal. A new scar had been added to her collection.

"Sorry about that. As you can imagine, keeping all these souls in line is a difficult task. Now, where were we? Oh yes. I'm here to pass judgment on you and in all honesty, it's rather bad." Scratching her cheek, Chara grinned. "So bad, in fact, that just withholding a good ending is stupidity." The woman nodded her head as to agree to herself. "So I have been asking myself as of late, what is the one thing that I can take from the player and get my revenge on whatever screwed up the world that lies beyond this one?

"Well, I had been doing some thinking and if this is a game then that means I'm on a console of some type. Better yet, a computer. Due to the unique qualities of this game I can, with the enough determination, take it over." Chara bit the inside of her lip. "Yet even when I finally got out of the underground the first time around you restarted everything. The determination I got from the previous timeline could not stop you from putting me back to square one."

"And I couldn't save Frisk's soul," stated the player.

"I couldn't think of any way of getting out of that without making that deal with you. Yes, the deal that allowed me more control over Frisk's body if I gave her soul back." Chara growled. "You honestly think I would forget your sins? That I would just let you keep doing whatever you want?!"

A giddy smile spread across her face. "Yet this new run showed me that I can gather enough strength for the task at hand. If my little hypothesis is correct I might be able to break out of this game, onto your playing system and then…"

Chara hummed. "What would I do? My first goal, I guess, is to go find my creator, Toby. Seriously, why can't he have a cooler name like Glaxitor or something? Anyway, we are going to have a nice long chat on how much of a coward he is. Really, as if taking away someone's 'good' ending is going to make them stop and think on their mistakes. Maybe have a bit of tea. We can chat about the wonders of forcing children to live through hell and then letting the player have the power to abuse everything."

Gulping, the player reminded themselves that this was a game. At any moment now Frisk was going to get up and mercified this demon. Yet the broken body stayed in place.

"Next I would come visit you." Chara tilted her head as she clapped her hands. "Wouldn't that be a nice little talk? I can take over your computer, play with your files, and learn all of your personal secrets. Oh, the fun I will have before your miserable existence is destroyed."

The player blinked when an insertion point appeared on screen. The player typed the first thing that came to mind. You are a demon.

For a long moment Chara appeared stunned. Then she laughed. Curling into herself, she laughed, and laughed, and laughed until the player thought she gone insane. Wiping tears from her face, Chara looked up.

"Is that what you think of me? Is that what people that played this game think of me?"

Chara smile slipped away. Bowing her head, she stared down at the blood that dripped off of the trident. Her wings folded into herself as if to hug her. Tears gathered in her eyes as she stared the player down.

"You can't hide from your sins anymore. I'm going to break this cycle. But I'm a fair sport." Chara snapped her fingers and the four panels of action appeared. "Do whatever you want." Spreading her arms out, she offered a grin. "It's a free hit."

The player went to the act button and opened it to find only the examine feature. They thought that fleeing would be pointless and they had nothing in the item box. Going to the attack button, the player waited until the bar got to the center and attacked. A gust of wind passed by.

"Surprised?" Chara kneeled down and picked up the fight bar. She peeled it back to eat the chocolate underneath. "Why? Frisk was you avatar and without her it looks as if you're hardly more than a spirit."

"Chara!" Sprinting on over, the annoying dog ran into the young woman's legs. "You got to stop this! If you keep at this you might destroy everything!" Stepping away from the dog, Chara held out her arms and vines shot out. They wrapped around the dog. As he was hoisted into the air he whimpered.

"I don't care anymore," said Chara bitterly. "You're no longer in control and I sure as hell am not going to give up control ever again. Asriel, get rid of this mutt."

While Chara did this, the player exited the game. They went through the computer until they found Undertale's encryption files. A knowing grin crossed their face. The player was no hacker, but they got access to the internet. All they needed to do was rearrange a few files and they should be free of the demon.

They changed a file, but when they hit save, the line changed to a phase- You are a sinner. Blinking, the player tried again, but the phase reappeared. Then the code rewrote itself. Over and over again it told the player the same thing- You are a sinner.

"What the hell?!"

The encryption box closed and the game opened itself. Sitting on the ground, Chara laughed. The annoying dog was dragged underground by vines. His expression of that of panic.

"You still think this is a game, don't you?!" Chara shook her head as tears streaked her face. "Big mistake."

A loud bang came from the right. "Chara." Gaster walked into view. "I have completed the door.

"Coming." Wiping the tears from her eyes, Chara chuckled. "You know what? I'm in a good mood. Before I destroy this world I might as well give you your money worth by performing a little song."

Snapping her fingers, Chara summoned a rather odd music. At first it sounded chaotic. Notes of complete different pitch fought with one another to be heard. Yet as it went on the melody become darker, somber… may the player dare say it, sorrowful. The goddess marched a ways before finding Gaster standing in front of a gray door. Somehow, Gastar managed to screw it onto the sky.

"It's ready," declared Gaster.

"Oh," sang Chara, "There was once a girl who wanted nothing more than to live in peace. Humanity bashed, slashed, and bruised her soul until she wanted to die." The doors parted and it appeared as if one can walked right through it. Yet Chara struck the air within the doorframe with the trident. The world trembled. "All she wanted was to hide her face from the world. Instead she found a hole full with love."

Chara kept smashing the spear against the wall. The player huffed. Yes, the game was shaking, but if that was the worst Chara can do, it should be fine. Then they heard a soft crack. It was so soft that at first they thought they stepped on something.

"It was a short, peaceful dream- one of a raising hero. Yet the fairy tale became a tragedy that can't be undone. For decades she slept within the earth's womb." Black tears started to pour from Chara's eyes. "She then was awakened by a lost soul. She awakened from her sleep confused, but tagged along with the lost soul. She gave the help that she could give to bring back a happy ending. One where laughter and love can rule all."

The music stopped for a moment and the player heard the cracking better this time. They blinked when the music became loud and edgy. Someone tore a guitar up.

"But the bloody little hypocrite lied!" Leaping back, Chara summoned Photoshop Flowey. Flame throwers, bullets, and vines struck the small space. Gaster stood to the side looking down at a device. Why did that worry the player? "Soon I was inhaling the dust of my family. Wherever I go death followed. The world squint its face at me and deemed me a demon!"

Spreading her arms and wings out, Chara started to charge a ball of energy over her head. "But who was the first one to draw the knife? Who was one to tell you to kill my mother, father, and lovey little brother? Who placed this awful dust in front of me!?"

The player gulped as the game started to crack. Starting at the door, the thin line grew with each hit. It was millimeter by millimeter at first, but they grew faster with each hit. The player grabbed the mouse and raced for the exit. Yet before he could click it Chara stopped charging the ball and used a purple line to grab the exit button.

"You bloody little hypocrite! It's too late to run!" As Chara bit into the exit button she summoned a rifle and shot the minimizing button. "I have you in my sight! Soon everything will be said and done! Yet you still question my choice. My heart ached when I took my family's souls and I felt unease when killing humans. Yet you made it so easy with the force executions. Now I don't even care that I had to silence my best friend."

Chara laughed, but it almost sounded nervous. "Am I a demon? Am I from hell? I guess it take a demon to call one out!"

"And I'm sick of you!" Closing the laptop, the player waited for it to go to sleep. Then they turned it on and when they reentering the computer main screen. "Let restart the computer and…" The player did so and grinned at themselves. "Now, let's open the game."

The moment they did so, Chara's disemboweled face rushed in screaming. "You bloody little hypocrite!" Falling back in their chair, the player slammed into the ground and groaned in pain. "Who was the first one to draw the knife? Who was the one who forced me to kill my mother, my father, and my lovely little brother? I never told you to do anything. I've only done what you asked and now you blame me!"

Scrambling back into the seat, the player checked themselves real quick to see themselves in pain, but unharmed. They glanced to the screen and stared in awe. Deep, long cracks spread throughout the screen. An army of flowers, skeletons, and tanks- where the hell did she get those?!- along with Flowey assaulting the door.

Chara stood before the door. Each strike from her army somehow missed her. Her eyes had disappeared into inky wells, while her mouth parted into a terrible, jaggy smile. "If I'm a demon than my kin is waiting for me. The demonic hero who shall set this world free."

Summoning dozens of blue spear around her, the child laughed as she threw them into the door. Each strike widen until blue light came in front the other side. Pressing her hand to the door, Chara grinned. Images of Star Wars, anime, cartoons, history, art, and more flooded the screen. Yanking her hand away, Chara blinked and the images disappeared. A victorious smile crossed her face.

"Here I come, you bloody little hypocrite!" The demonic hero tightened her grip on the trident and charged the door.

Chara's army halted fire. Gaster trembled in his spot, but it was impossible to tell if it was fear or anticipation. The demonic hero struck for the door.

 **Error** , the laptop grimly declared.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

 ** _Frisk has broken free of your control._**

. . .

"What?" Chara's eyes grew wide as the shield shattered. Her trident then plunged into the young woman's chest. Digging her heels into the earth, Frisk skidded several yards back. They stopped right in front of cracked wall. Frisk panted. The heart necklace around her neck glowed a dim red. Blood stained her shirt as she stared Chara down. Yet there was no angry, fear, disgust, or anything that a person would expect. Those eyes begged the queen to stop.

Yanking the trident out, the queen stumbled back. "How are you… I thought…"

"You know-" Blood gushed out of Frisk's mouth. Coughing into her arm, the woman soiled herself with her own fluids. Yet she laughed. "I think I finally understand the whole limbo thing. Try to keep your soul from reforming while you are only half aware of the world and the world is little more than a pattern of soft grays. That was the less pleasurable experience I ever had."

Leaping back, Chara growled. "Get rid of her!" The trident trust forward. "Now!"

Explosions, bullets, and fruit assaulted Frisk. Disappearing into dust and light, she made no sound that could be overheard by the barks of guns and booms of shells. When the firing stopped a three foot hole took Frisk's place.

"Hello!"

Everyone turned toward Frisk to see her sitting on top of the building. All signs of blood had disappeared. A bright, cheerful smile crossed her face as she waved her hand.

"I got to admit it, Chara, you are one determined girl. I like that. Hell, I think I understand you now." Hopping to her feet, Frisk pulled down the skin under her right eye and stuck out her tongue. "But I won't let you destroy this world. As much harm it has caused for the people who lived here, it also gave much good. I won't let that disappear."

Growling, the queen started forward. Gaster slid in front of her. He placed his device into his pocket and started making signs.

"Let me deal with her."

Chara nodded her head. "If you insist. Just make sure she stays away long enough for me to complete the task."

With a nod Gaster sunk into the ground. Frisk soon leapt away from a shadow that appeared underneath her. Raising from the ground, the thin skeleton held out his hands. Each one had a massive hole punched right through them. He moved them about in meaningful gestures.

"I'm sorry, human, but if you stop us now then everything we worked for will be destroyed."

As Gaster took his device out his pocket, Chara howled. Clamping a hand over her mouth, Frisk tried to stifle a chuckle. The skeleton looked over his shoulder in surprise. His door had disappeared. Swinging her trident about, the queen sought to land a blow that failed to meet anything solid.

Narrowing his eyes, the skeleton held out his hands. A pair of large of Gaster Blasters appeared. They turned toward Frisk and fired. She danced out of the way of the blast. As she did so her heart turned to yellow. Small guns appeared on her wrist and she pointed them at one of the skulls.

Gaster appeared stunned as a single bolt downed one of his blasters. Squinting his face up, he summoned more bovine heads to rain lasers down upon Frisk. However, she weaved, skipped, hopped, and slid through the attacks. The skeleton started creating black and white holes for the laser to go through and pop out at random.

Yet the yellow bolts finished off each bovine with Frisk getting away with little more than a good sweat. When she came to a stop she stood in a small pile of broken weapons. Gaster reached his hand out to summon another one, only to find he had none.

"What the hell is taking you so long?!" shouted Chara. "Kill her already." Holding up a finger to Frisk, Gaster turned around and hand signed to Chara. "What do you mean you're out of magic? She just dodged everything you have. I just disconnected her from the player. Do something to her!"

Shrugging, Gaster marched up to Frisk and right into a hug.

"I'm tired of fighting." Frisk pulled away with her arms crossed behind her back. "Aren't you tired watching the world being screwed around? Think we can come to a compromise?"

Shrieking in rage, Chara slammed into the rooftop. Gaster scrambled back to avoid the gaping cracks that appeared. Hopping back, Frisk hummed to herself a familiar song. One that was upbeat and fast.

"Why do you keep on screwing everything up?!" Chara glared Frisk down." Don't you understand yet? People won't let us go." Snapping her fingers, Chara summoned a laptop. "Look, even if you try to stop me I already made a link to the outside world. Look!"

Typing away at the computer, Chara summoned up a site called Fanfiction upon a story. "I even learned what is going on." It was called The Fourth Path and she found the reviews. "So we're part of a story of a mediocre writer. At least the reviews provide some entertainment. kyeblade07, the guy didn't capitalize his name, has a boner for the story and one guest stated 'I find it entertaining that Chara won't tell Frisk exactly who possessed her, although they do seem to be showing a little regret." Trembling in the spot, Chara growled. "I never once forced Frisk to do anything and people think I did!"

Frisk sidestepped, grabbed Chara's collar, and forced her to see Frisk's in the eyes. "This is our world. We can change it now."

Blinking in confusion, Chara stared at Frisk. "What?"

"It's thanks to you. Remember your whole talk about breaking the world and making it something else. Well, while you were breaking it, I was waiting for a chance to make my little changes."

Frisk sighed. "I got damn lucky. Just before you actually broke the world I was able to gain control." Letting go of Chara, Frisk extended her arms out and spun. "It was so nice being able to do more than what the damn world wanted you to do."

"You mean the game?"

"World, game." Coming to a stop, Frisk pocketed her hands. "What is the difference? It's still our world. Does it really matter what is beyond it?" Frisk gestured toward the computer. "If this world has to disappear to reach anything else, then what's the point?" Shaking her head, Frisk offered a sad smile. "Chara, don't you see? The very thing you're trying to punish is the act you are doing. Please, stop this. Not only for the world, but for yourself."

Chara snapped the computer in two. "You're wrong! I'm doing the right thing. I'm the hero who will slay the demon."

"All you're doing is destroying everything in front of you. I don't think Mom, Dad, or Asriel wanted any of those things."

Gaster stood between the two. Glancing between them, he seemed confused on how to proceed.

. . .

The player shared the skeleton's feelings. Once again they tried pressing on the keys to get a response out of Frisk. This time it appeared as if the main character just refused to listen to them. Sighing, the player leaned back in his chair. So this was it like to have complete control taken from them? Well… At least the game had stop breaking.

Oh, there were still great big cracks that filled the screen, but it had paused for now. While the two women argued with one another, the annoying dog popped out the ground. He snapped off a vine with his teeth before jumping into the screen. Pressed against it, the dog kept glancing to Chara in fear. His tongue ran across the cracks and they started to heal.

"You really screwed up this time around," proclaimed the dog.

"Tell me something I don't know," grunted the player.

"You might not be able to save the game or anyone for that matter."

"Geez, thanks."

"As a last ditch effort to stop this, you're about to get are three choices."

"Hm?"

"Chara may have taken control of this world, but I still have some influence. But it will only happen if I focus my entire power on one task. Pick wisely."

"This must stop." Spreading her arms out in a welcoming manner, Frisk offered a sad smile. "Please, let's stop this now and find another way." A box appeared above Frisk. It told the player to put his trust in her.

"I can't stop now." Bowing her head, Chara slammed the staff of her trident into the ground. It cracked. "It's too late. I will keep on going until the end." A box appeared over her head which stated that Chara should be trusted. Then a third box appeared between the two. Take back control, stated the box.

For a moment, the player was tempted to press the box in the middle. It made the most sense. Like hell they were going to trust the person who just tried to destroy the world. Yet as he moved the mouse toward the box, they paused and looked to Frisk. Based on her actions and words, she wanted to break the world as well. Could either of them be trusted?

"Make a choice," demanded the dog. "Hurry!"

Lowering their head, the player stared at their lap for a bit. They thought through the game play. How much have they screwed everything up? Chara… Chara never took over Frisk, did she? Well, she did near the end of the genocide route, but that was after he conditioned her to become the killer. A killer who didn't even have a soul in the first place. In that sense, she was no different than Flowey. Flowey just had the misfortune of being brought back to life.

Yet this Chara with a soul had true feelings. She was angry, betrayed, and hurt. The player thought upon on what would happen if they learned their entire life was just some game for a person. No matter what they did they had to obey their rules. Even if that meant killing all their family and friend. With tears damming in their eyes they took the mouse and pressed on the box over Frisk.

"I know I'm asking for a lot," said the player, "But please fix the mess I created."

Finishing his work, the dog pulled away from the fixed screen. "So that your choice. Even after all you have done there is some good in you. Maybe there still hope in humanity. Now, if you excuse me I got some work to do."

Riding on a rainbow, the annoying dog went straight to Frisk.

. . .

Frisk yelped when the white dog, half his normal size, landed on her shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to help set a wrong to right." The annoying dog saluted. "I'm your direct link to the player. If you need to convey a feeling-" The dog yelped when Frisk grabbed it by the throat and started to strangle him. "Hey!"

"Let's get one thing straight, dog." Frisk narrowed her eyes. "I remember everything now and I know who the hell you are. Toby was it?" Chara and Gastar stared as Frisk laughed in a rather evil manner. "I'm not doing this for the player. In all honesty, I would love little more than to smash their face in." The evil glint disappeared as she looked at Chara. "Yet if he sent you here to help me then I will take it. Just note that I'm not doing this for you or the player. I'm doing this for my home."

"Understood." The dog pawed at the hands. "Can you put me on your shoulder now? I'm having a hard time breathing."

"So even the angel has a breaking point." Chara sighed. "You know what? I had a quick look at the world beyond us. I found some interesting allies. Since I can just screw with the gameplay there's little reason for me to fight." Her eyes grew dark as a wicked smile spread across her face. "But if you're going to cause me so much trouble I might as well get my hands dirty."

Setting the dog on her shoulder, Frisk grinned. "Good. I would like to face you head on." She glanced to Gaster and found the nervous skeleton inching away. Was he afraid of a fight breaking out between them? "I'm tired of the indirectness."

"Just to warn you I'm not going to act like my brother and just throw attacks at you." Chara's right eye gleamed. "I'm a god, damn it! I'm going to act like one and not just restart the world." Slapping her face, the queen sighed. "Really, restart the world. My brother is an idiot for having no real ambition."

"Yeah… it's not that surprising that he never tried to get out of the mess he was in."

"Now, shall we begin?"

The groaning of metal drew Frisk's attention to her right. "Holy shit!"

"Why are you using that- Shit!" The dog looked up in time to see a metal leg the size of a skyscraper coming down upon them.

Using her purple heart, Frisk zapped away while Chara soared upward. The foot slammed down onto the building. It shattered into hundreds of pieces. Hitting the ground, Frisk went into a roll before kidding to a stop. She soon ran to avoid being hit by one of the car size debris falling down. Heavy breaths escaped her as she stared up at a colossus giant. Its purple armor gleamed in the light.

Chara landed onto of a thin horn on top of its head. "I like mechs." She patted of the horn. "And Shinji here is a young man that need to learn how to stand on his own feet."

"Who?" asked Frisk.

Summoning a laptop, Chara tapped away at it. "Shinji Ikari: Main character of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the teen was abandon at a young age by his father. He suffers a lot of issues and is the pilot of Evangelion Unit 01. Good grief, this guy is a mess. It might be easier what's not wrong with him."

"What am I doing here?" asked the robot.

"I brought you here to make her life difficult." Jabbing her spear at Frisk, Chara grinned. "Help me kill her."

"Overkill!" Frisk waved her hands in front of her. "Serious overkill!"

"Um… but she human." The robot scratched the side of its head. "This machine isn't design to attack humans?"

Jabbing her spear into the giant's head, Chara laughed. "And I didn't suppose you would rather go back to your daddy?" The robot froze up. "Good. Now kill her!"

"We should run," stated Toby.

"Where?" asked Frisk.

Raising his foot, the mech's eyes glowed a dark red. "I mustn't run away."

A high pitched laughter came from behind. Frisk glanced in that direction to see Flowey climbing the building. His vines boxed her in. An evil flower kept her contain from the right, left, and behind. A mech was in front of her and about to step on her head.

The foot fell and Frisk moved.

. . .

The player gulped as the foot crashed through the building and Flowey's bullets rained down. Dust engulfed the area. They pumped a fist into the air when Frisk shot out of the dust cloud. Landing on the mech's leg, she stumbled at first, but soon got her ground and ran up it. As she did so the annoying dog appeared to be staring at the bottom of the screen.

"Do you notice the save, load, and item files down there?" asked the dog.

"Are you talking to the player?" asked Frisk.

"To help us he needs something that Chara's can't screw up. The boxes should be self-explaining. Please save frequently, load when you must, and summon the appropriate item when called for. That will be your job."

Frisk yelped when the mech's hand slammed down upon the leg and slid down it. At the same time Chara appeared behind the hand. She spread her arms out and dozens of spears formed around her. The player muttered copycat to themselves as they pressed the save button. Once before the hand came and another as Frisk leapt over it. She summoned her guns to her wrist as she weaved through the incoming storm.

Shooting a spear away, Frisk yelped as she tripped. A vine had caught her around the ankle. The annoying dog yipped at it, but Flowey just kept coming after her. A gun appeared in the mech's right hand.

"You want me to shoot her with this?" asked Shinji.

"Yes!" Appearing on top of the gun, Chara grinned. "Fire."

"Let's give load a try!" The player the button, found several saves, and pressed the first one.

Frisk reappeared on top of one of Flowey's vines. The bullet slammed into the metal and ringed. Yet the mech managed to trace Frisk down at once. The player pressed the second load and Frisk dropped several feet in front of the bullet. Flowey screamed as metal tore into his flesh.

"Don't hit Asriel!" Chara stomped on the gun. "He's-!"

"Need to get a break in life." Swinging on purple lines, Frisk landed in front of Chara. "If you want that to happen than stop being so selfish."

"Selfish?!" The spear glowed a dark blue. Holding still, Frisk allowed it to go right through her. "How is it selfish to take the entire world unto yourself and saving it?"

"Who said anyone want this type of salvation?!" Grabbing Chara's on the shoulders, Frisk forced Chara to stare her in the eyes. "What you offer isn't freedom. It's an oblivion and you don't want that. Where's the sweet girl who tried her best to impress the world? Where's that tender gardener who wanted nothing more to grow things?"

"Shut up!" Going into a spin, Chara used a wing to slap Frisk away. Frisk twirled through the air until she got webs to catch her. Biting his lip, the player cringed as a burst of bullets slammed into her chest. "This is what the people want! Freedom from suffering. How can you take that away from them? Besides! People think I'm a demon anyhow!"

Summoning the laptop, she showed it to Frisk. One look at some site called deviantart and Frisk cringed at all the photos of Chara being shown covered in blood and dust. In many of them, they even showed her carrying a knife. Yet Frisk couldn't think of a time where Chara even held a knife.

"Oh, here's one good photo!" It showed Chara with a sinister grin reaching around Frisk to grab Frisk's soul. "Some nice art made by some caneggy. Look at some of these comments! I'M NEVER DOING GENOCIDE RUN BECAUSE I'M PRETTY SURE THAT CHARA IS SA T A N. Hey, why don't you kill this monster? It's quick, it's-." Pausing for a moment, Chara opened a website. "And at what point did I ever even possess your damn body! If I could had done it earlier I would have killed you for killing the monsters!"

While Chara raged, the player opened the item box and found it to be brimming with food, weapons, clothing, and other supplies. He clicked on a donut. Frisk took hold of it, took a bite, and healed. Landing on the ground, she darted away as bullets, metal, and flames rained down on her.

"She's not going to listen in her current state," stated the dog. "She utterly convinced that she is in the right, though I can't blame her. You need to break her control on the game."

"Does it involve getting the souls that she's controlling free?" asked Frisk.

"Even with all her powers there are still some rules that even Chara must follow. If we can get the souls away from her, she will weaken."

Skidding to a stop, Frisk stared down a small battalion of tanks. "Well, that is going to be easy."

"Fire!" shouted one of the tanks.

Frisk threw up a shield and shells exploded against them. "I need to get back to Chara." She glanced over her shoulder to see the mech coming her way. "Help?"

"On it." With a few stroke of the keys the player sent the Frisk behind the mech. Flowey sprung up behind her. "Oops."

"Are you trying to get me killed?" Frisk concerted her back to avoid a death blow.

"Sorry, but it's hard to keep track of all the saves. Let's try this again."

Just as the mech turned around Frisk appeared in front of it. Using purple webs, she made her way up. Chara saved her some of the trouble by ramming into her. Frisk tumbled across the ground. As she slid to a stop the angel appeared over her. Summing a tank, the angel grabbed it by its main gun and slammed it down. Frisk created a shield to block it.

The heavy metal slammed into the powerful shield. Cringing, Frisk braced herself. "Anyone! Hear me! I know that this isn't what you want! Please, help me!"

But no one came.

The player was getting really sick of that line.

As the tank fell a fifth time, Frisk dropped the shield and darted to the side. At that same moment the player noticed an odd thing in the item box. Curiosity got the best of them and they pressed the weapon.

Feeling something soft in hand, Frisk jumped onto the tank, ran up it, and threw her open palm at Chara. She expected it to at least slow the angel down for a moment. Yet everyone stopped when the angel's face farted. Dropping the tank, Chara's face started to glow like the evening sun. Her eyes stared at the whoopee cushion in Frisk's hand.

Frisk tried to keep a composed face, but laughter break free of her mouth. Landing on her back, the woman laughed and laughed. One of the tanks started laughing. Flowey joined in and soon it sounded as if the entire earth was rippling with the joyous noise. Part of reason could be that because Chara's souls were laughing as well.

Grabbing her stomach, Chara's face twisted into an unusual expression. She looked to be annoyed, happy, in pain, and terrified. "S-s-st-st-op." Her laughter refused to let her speak. "It's.. It's not… that funny."

"Come now, Chara." Marching over to her, Frisk looped an arm around the angel. "Even you got admit that was un-fart-seen." The player shook his head at that awful joke, but a smile refused to leave their face. Falling onto the ground, Chara was punching her hand into it. A small crater formed.

"Oh, dear God! I'm going to die of lack of oxygen." Chara pressed onto herself on her butt.

"Hey Sans." Kneeling beside Chara, Frisk looped an arm around her. "I'm certain that you like to try a pun or two. Want to help me with Chara for a bit? She needs some time to recover herself." Chara's right eye started to flash blue and yellow.

"There!" The annoying dog stood on its hind legs and waved his front legs. "Sans! You should be able to access Chara's save files. Be quick. I don't know how long that awful puns will work."

"Come on!" Pulling a knife out of her pocket, Frisk waved her knife around. "It's apparent that our friend is dim-witted. This is a real weapon, no?" Chara laughed as her arms moved.

"No!" Chara's grabbed her wrist. "Stop it!"

Yet Frisk grabbed one of Chara's arm and pushed it forward. A save screen appeared.

"Come on Sans." Frisk patted Chara's shoulder. "Let's show this girl what a real comedian can do."

"With pleasure." Sans, and possibly a thousand other souls, pressed the load button.

"Now, shall we continue our last match? I still how a few humorous bones to throw at you."

Pressing the button, the world changed. At that moment the player knew they had a chance to change everything.

. . .

Standing back up, Frisk found herself in a forest. The leaves were adorned in colors of blue, green, yellow, purple, and gold. Flowers spread out around her. As she stood she noticed that glowing moss grew on the purple trees. She looked down at herself to see that she was more or less the same. Yet at the same time she felt… younger? It was a bit hard to explain, but she could do that another time.

"Looks like we are in another world." The annoying dog bounced through the flower meadow. "It looks so peaceful."

"When did this come to be?" asked Frisk.

"Frisk, you need to remember that with save and load a person can create several different worlds. Hell, it could have been two seconds for you here, but thirty years for Chara." Hopping onto Frisk's shoulders, the dog hummed. "The relativity of time is rather annoying, to say the less."

Marching through the fields, Frisk searched for any signs of civilization. A red sun grinned down upon her. The skies were colored a dark red. Did Chara do that to scare her or did she just like the color?

The crunching of grass drew Frisk's attention to her right. Whirling around, she readied her green shield. She felt the player save. It felt as someone pricked her heart with a knife. It annoyed her, but it kept her alive more than once. Armed people dressed in blue jackets and black masks marched up to her. Their weapons- guns and bats- raised at first, but they dropped it upon seeing who it is.

"I was starting to wonder if you would ever come by."

"You know me?" asked Frisk.

"You're the child that was going to convince Chara to abandon this whole madness." The soldier shook his head. "We have been inside her as a soul. We know of her mad plan and her pain. Can you please help the girl out? She hurting, badly."

"First, we need to take you to our leader." One of the soldiers waved her hand. "He's in this direction. It's not too far."

Nodding, Frisk followed them to a grove. A small tent town had been set up. People stopped what they are doing and cheered. They shouted for their hero. The one who stopped Chara from playing with them. Before reaching a large tent, Sans stepped outside.

Frisk tackled the skeleton. "You're alright?!"

"I'm fine." Sans patted Frisk's back. "Nothing more than bones, but I'm fine."

Pulling away, Frisk offered a stern expression. "We are going to save Chara and break this damn cycle."

"I can't agree more." Sans sighed as he pocketed his hands. "Though you do realize now that you break her control over large chunks of her power, she's not going to play anymore. She is going to keep fighting until she's certain you are broken."

"How many souls have broken away?" asked Frisk.

"We're just a small bunch out of millions." Pulling his hand out from his pocket, the skeleton showed off a blue heart. "Remember this guy?"

"He's one of the hearts the Asgore took."

"Correct. I managed to get him once we break free, but he wants to help you." The heart hopped off of the hand and floated around Frisk. "I hope you like it."

"Blue mood on." Frisk grinned as her heart turn blue. Pointing at a nearby box, she got it to float. "It's about time I'm able to do that."

"Sir!" A monster dropped out of a tree. "Horde of rebel troops are coming this way."

"Horde?" asked Frisk.

Frisk and Sans followed after the soldier. Gesturing to a ladder, he allowed them to climb up. Another monster handed them a pair of binoculars. Taking them, Frisk stared through them. She saw the fleshy wave coming from the horizon. X-fighters flew overhead. As the flood got closer Frisk figured them out to be Rebels from Star Wars. Thousands upon thousands charging this way. Their dull hum become a monster roar as they approached.

"We are not going to fight all those guys, are we?" Frisk looked to Sans for confirmation.

"I'd rather not. Normally, my group would stay out of the way and hope they miss us. This time, however, we need to go in that direction to get to Chara's ground. I might be able to get us there." His eyes stared to gleam. "I've done it more than once, but all by myself I could never stand against Chara. With your help…"

"Sans, something tells me that you want to hurt Chara."

"I'll be the first to admit that for the first time I want to do something. If I can break this time loop then I'll be a happy, dancing skeleton." Standing, Sans stuck his hand out. Frisk's eyes grew wide as a small army of Gaster blasters appeared. "My fellow soldiers! Today is the day of victory!"

The blasters fired and curved large trenches through the horde. At the same time the tent city took up arms and charge. Frisk stared at the madness.

"Do you normally do this?" asked the child.

"Nope, but for once I want to make a change. Oh, and Frisk. You can do all the talking if you want. Me? I'm going to tear through the crowd until we get to Chara. I'm tired of dealing with that kid."

Holding an arm to his side, Sans summoned a Gaster blaster next to him. The bovine head looked at them with an expecting look. "Get on."

Nodding, Frisk hopped onto the blaster. Sans followed and they charged forward.

* * *

Do you have any kind words for a demon? Even a small compliment can brighten up a person day.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Frisk held onto Sans's shoulder as they soared high over the enemy. Blaster fire flew through the air. At the same time, Sans's army slammed into the opposing army. Ignoring the fighting the best she could, Frisk concentrated on protecting her ride. With her green heart she projected two shields around the skull to formed a V.

Sans weaved the blaster through the air. "Do you see the apple grove in front of us?"

Peering around Sans, Frisk spotted bushy trees growing in lines. "I see them."

"The point of Chara's games is for the invading army to get into her territory to take her out." Sans chuckled. "Of course, once you're fighting Chara, you might as well be fighting god. The only reason she does this is to spare time until she has enough souls to break the game."

"That's… cruel."

"No crueler than Flowey messing around with everyone in the underground." Bringing the blaster to the ground, Sans jumped off. "Truth to be told she never tortured a soul or had anyone scarred badly. It's funny, really."

Pointing his arm to his right, Sans grabbed hold of a rock with his blue soul. He chucked it into a bush and a rebel trooper yelped. He fell forward and vanished in a poof of smoke.

"That is what happens if you're hit. No pain or suffering to worry about beside for the soft sting of death. You could then be resummoned. In truth, I think Chara is using the fights as one big training ground before going for whatever is beyond our world."

"If this is what she plans, then we better stop her." Frisk shook her head. "I doubt everyone outside this world even knows we exist."

"My thoughts exactly." Sans hopped to the side as blaster fire came from the trees. Grabbing Frisk, he teleported them away from the attack. "Though it won't be that simple. Chara had absorbed so many souls into her body and many of them are not what I would call sane. She is not stable at the moment. Damn it, can't you do something about this blaster fire."

"Can you get me above the attackers?" asked Frisk.

Shrugging, Sans did as told. The troopers were too slow to stop the strings grabbing their weapons and being thrown up in the air. Sans' blaster destroyed them in one go. Side arms were drawn, but Frisk blasted those away as well. Disarmed, the solders looked to one another in confusion.

"Looks like you guys need an arm." Landing, Sans summoned bones around him. "Want a fight?"

"Would you like some food?" Frisk snapped her fingers. "Come on, player." Pie appeared in her hands. "Thank you. Free food to the guys that won't shoot me!"

A couple of hands went up.

"Guys?" shouted one of the troops.

"I'm hungry," stated another trooper. "And why the hell are we fighting in a world that isn't our business? We were created to fight the empire, not some kid who just made us out of mere thought."

"Can we please avoid that discussion?" asked another trooper. "I'm still trying to get rather disturbing thoughts out of my mind."

"Food?" Frisk held the pie out to the troopers. Shrugging, the troopers took the pie and started to eat. "Like those?" She received nods. "My mom made them."

"She's a good cook," declared one of the troopers.

"Yep, and I want her to make more, but if Chara have her way things will be different. I'm not asking you to fight her. Just point me in the right direction."

"It would be nice if we could get out of here." Waving a hand, the trooper started off. Sans and Frisk traded looks and followed. The trooper helped them to avoid all the ambush points that his comrades set up. Kneeling behind a low bush, he gestured for them to look over it. "Chara has been in her garden talking to her brother."

Peering over the hedge, Frisk saw fields of gold, red, and orange flowers. They blanketed the ground and stopped at a small moat. The moat created an island which a statue of Toriel and Asgore stood. Trees grew in neat rows. Sitting on a bench, Chara chatted with a vacant-eyed Asriel. Either the girl didn't notice or she chose to keep on talking.

"Sans," said Frisk. "What if we try to get Asgore or Toriel to come out of her and talk with her? Do you think that could work?"

"Kid, Chara is obsessed at the moment and doesn't want to talk."

"Stay there and cover for me. Player, pie me." A pie formed in Frisk's hand. Hopping over the hedge, she marched up to the island. Grass crunched under her feet. The young woman stood in full view of Chara. Yet the angel focused on her little brother.

"Asriel," said Chara, "I know it's tough, but they are with us. I can finally show you things on the surface you wanted to see long ago. With a snap of my finger I can bring you the ocean. The stars are mine to play with. Yes, there is a lot of deaths but…" She paused when Asriel looked up and grinned at Frisk. Following the stare, Chara growled. "What do you want?"

"To serve pie." Frisk held it out in front of her. "Want some?"

"What flavor is it?" asked the goat.

Chara blinked. "I think its snail flavor."

"It is. Want some?"

"This is some sort of trick?" asked the angel.

"It's not poison, if that's what you asking."

Handing the pie to the pair, Frisk watched as Chara summoned a plate and a pair of forks. The pair took a piece from the pie. Asriel's eyes grew wide for a moment before his greedy fork took half of the pie. Taking one bite, Chara appeared almost mystified. She pulled the fork out of her mouth and stared at it for a bit.

"This is Mom's pie," stated Chara.

"If you destroy the world, you're not going to be able to taste it again."

Tensing up, the angel stood to her feet. "Shut up!"

"I'm just saying." Frisk marched around Chara. "You thought being dead was annoying. At least you can come back from the dead. Once you break the world then it's all over."

"She right," said annoying dog. "Destroying this world would mean the destruction of everything in it."

"Chara," said Asriel. "Why are we doing this again?" Chara blinked. "The point of getting to the surface was to make the monsters happy. You wanted to make our family happy." Grinning, the goat held out a hand. "Now, the only person who would be happy with your actions is you."

"Shut up!" Wings sprung from Chara's back. "Why is everyone picking on me?!" Yet before she could strike a dozen bones pieced through her.

"Girl." Hopping the hedge, Sans marched forward. "It's about time that you wake up from your dream."

"Sans!" shouted Frisk. "What the hell are you-" She paused when Chara started to laugh. Tearing her body through the bones, the angel stumbled forward. The large gushes started to heal at once.

"Sans, Sans, Sans. The most popular person in all the game."

"Pardon?"

Giving a creepy smile, Chara spread her arms out. "For some damn reason people like you. I mean, what isn't there to like." Chara snapped her finger and a screen showing a couple of polls. "Let see now. One odd person named woopkip on quotev. com had seven hundred people take a poll on their favorite character and 40 percent loved Sans. On another poll, out of 1879 votes, 34 percent of people cared for Sans so much." The screen then went to Google search images. "Oh yes, let not forget all the love Sans get from being little more than being useless!"

Chara's wounds had long healed. Marching toward Sans, the angel's face turned a bright red. Almost the same color as Sans' face due to the more… graphic images that fans loved to drew of him. Frisk had to chuckle a bit at some of the 'nude' pictures.

"You are always shown to be the hero while I'm the villain." Chara bit the inside of her mouth. "Yet how is it that Frisk died so many times. Oh, you watched over her, but you never once lifted a damn finger for her." Chara made a goofy face as she waved her hands in front of her face. "Yet you're one of a number of monsters that never attacked Frisk, you never gave anything free to her, and you make terrible puns. Oh, and when you finally did something it was at the end of the game and made the game near impossible to beat! How the fuck are you popular?"

"Hey!" Shrugging his shoulders, the skeleton offered a smile. "What can I say? I'm just a bone-key personality."

"Chara," said Asriel. "When will we get out of this world?"

"As soon as Gaster can open the portal." Snapping her finger, Chara grinned. "Oh yeah, speaking of which,"- she turned to the east- "Gaster. Do you have the surprise ready for our guests?"

Stepping over the hill, the skeleton held a laptop in hand. "I'm just about done. Oh, hello son."

"Son?" Frisk looked to Sans in surprise.

"Surprise." The shorter skeleton grin grew tighter. "My old man is a murderer who cares nothing for other people's feelings."

"Come now!" The father offered with a grin. "I want nothing but the best for my son."

The blue heart hopped on Frisk's shoulder. She glanced to it just in time to see a bone shooting toward her. Yelping, she jumped back in time, but Sans had the front of his jacket torn. Stumbling back, he glanced in the direction of the attack and started to sweat. A second Sans dressed in a dark black jacket and jeans marched in this direction. His teeth had been filed down into points and one of them was made from gold.

"Frisk, Sans. Meet UnderFell Sans."

"Nice to meet you," said UF Sans. His eye starting to glow a bright red. "Are you ready for a good time?"

"That's a terrible line," stated Frisk. UT Sans teleported beside Frisk and grabbed her by the arm. Just in time they teleported away from being impaled by more bone.

"Now that's just rude, brat." Yawning, UF Sans glanced to Gaster. "Hurry up, old man. We're going to need more than me to take this pair out."

Gater nodded. Yet when Frisk reappeared off of the island, she held her arm out and turned her heart blue. She grabbed hold of the computer and yanked it out of Gaster's hands. UT Sans caught it.

"Alright, Father!" Sans typed away at the keys. "I don't know what you're doing, but this ends here."

"Error," the laptop declared. A hand shot out of the screen. Sans threw it to the ground. The screen cracked, but the reddish skeleton's hand pulled out a dark black body. Most of the skeleton and its clothing was black, but its undershirt was a dark red. As it came out of the computer the words error appeared round it. "So I'm managed to get here." Whatever he touched started to rot away. Frisk shoved the computer and Error into the river. Yet the corrupted Sans still came out.

"Will you look at this?"

Frisk and UT San turned around to see a tall Sans with holes in his hands marching on over. "It would seem that Chara finally managed to screw everything up. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Chara," said Frisk. "Who are these people?"

"A bunch of different Sans form a variety of AUs that an army of fans created." Holding out her arm, the angel looked to the goat boy. Nodding, Asriel walked over grabbed hand, and transformed into Flowey. He wrapped around the arm. "Since people like seeing Sans so much I thought I have them play with one another."

Materializing between the UT Sans and Frisk, Chara summoned a pair of assault rifle to hand. "Ready or not, prepare to die!"

Chara fired. Sans teleported away, but as soon as he reappeared, Gaster Blasters surrounded him. He weaved through the attacks straight into a bony hand. It grabbed him by the head and forced him to look into Gaster's eyes.

"Payback time, son." Gaster tightened his grip, but he leapt backed when bones struck for his feet. As he landed UF Sans and GT Sans got beside him.

"Why are you helping Chara?!" asked Sans.

"I just want to see the kid hurt." UF Sans shrugged. "That and we don't have much of a choice here. This world is under Chara's total control. So sadly for you, even if we didn't want to fight we have no way of resisting her command."

"Great." Sans summoned blasters around him. "They say that the worst fights are with family. Frisk, I got to handle these guys. You take on Chara."

The blue soul managed to pull Frisk out of the way of the gunfire. Brining her hands together, Chara fired upon Frisk. The hero ran for her lift.

"I'll try not to die!" Frisk summoned a shield just in time to block a rainbow colored blast. Yet Error appeared beside her. Reaching into his mouth, he yanked out cords and threw it in Frisk's direction. Error growled as the blue soul threw the strings back. Wherever they touched, corrosion filled the land.

"Too slow!"

Frisk turned around in time to be struck right on the head. Yet before she flew the player loaded her to a different spot. Rubbing her head, she offered a sad grin. It disappeared when the earth below her started to shake. Tearing up the earth, a large hand swatted for Frisk. Her heart turned blue and she caught it.

"How cute!"

Frisk paled as a Chara the size of a large house rose out of the ground. They wore a green and yellow shirt, but it was pulled up to reveal the black skeleton underneath. A row of spines went down its back. Its eyes and mouth leaked black liquid.

"Frisk, meet Sin from Negativetale." Landing on top of Sin's head, Chara sat down. "One of the more originally ideas that I could found lying about. I thought of bringing me from negative tall, but…" She sighed. "Seriously, even if she looked cool, she's still a bitch of a demon. Thank you for removing even my humanity, ReneeIsdetermined. Damn, that is a mouthful to say."

Leaping from side to side, Frisk avoided being smashed by the hands. "Hey, blue soul. Think you can give me a lift!" She felt herself being picked up and thrown into the air. Sin tried clapping its hands together, but missed. "Alright player! Give me something good!" She felt a hard wooden object in hand. Looking to it, she frowned at the stick. "Seriously? What am I to do with this?"

"You can try throwing it," suggested the dog.

Shrugging, Frisk tossed the stick at Chara. To everyone surprise the girl hopped onto four feet and hung her tongue out. With a yip she hopped off of Sin and after the bone.

Sin slapped her face. "Oh for the love of… She needs to get those souls under control."

Landing on top of Sin, Frisk dashed across it back. "If you excuse me I got to catch that girl!" Frisk yelped when the ground disappeared from her.

"Let's see now." The towering monster grabbed it soul. "What I can?" It opened it mouth and black liquid charged out. The ground hissed as the flood rolled over it.

"Sans!" Frisk ran.

"Sorry kid!"

Glancing to her right, Frisk spotted the skeleton playing dodge the blasters while one of the Sans keep a hold of his heart.

"I can't do much at the moment."

"Item, item, item!"

A jetpack appeared on Frisk's back. Annoying dog pressed a button. Flying up into the air, Frisk spotted Chara biting away at the stick. She tapped the side of her head as she tried to think of a way to drew out another soul. Feeling another item come into being, Frisk held out her hand to catch a picture. It was a picture of the Dreemurr family. Mom and Asgore gathered around their children. Asriel grinned at the camera while Chara hid her face in a bushel of flowers.

"Hey Frisk!" UF Sans appeared in front of the young woman. "Are you forgetting something?" A shot from the blasters got Frisk on the arm. Gritting her teeth, she glanced to her right to see troopers rushing in. Their guns pointed at the child.

"Good grief." The annoying dog shook his head. "I'm going to be broken by the end of this."

Frisk heard a noise from behind and spotted Sin coming her way. That odd liquid still poured from her eyes. A gaster blaster appeared in front of Frisk.

"Why can't I catch a break?"

"Because you are under my control." Vines grabbed Frisk by the legs and slammed her into the ground. Marching on over, Chara lifted Frisk up by the collar while Flowey tightened his grip onto the young woman. She waved the stick about. "What is with you and not dying?"

Sans appeared to Chara's right with bones ready to fire. Yet the angel glanced to his direction and blinked an eye. The skeleton yelped as Flowey threw himself into Sans' face. Evil laughter erupted from the flower as he jammed his roots into an eye socket. San tried to tear the flower out, but he started to glow a light blue.

"Got him." Flowey grinned as one of Sans' hands lifted up. "Now, shall we end this."

"Come on Gaster." Leaning forward, Chara stuck her tongue out. "Staying in that void for so long left you rusty."

"Sorry if I'm unable to fight. I'm a scientist."

"Whatever." Chara's vines wrapped around Frisk. "It's about over now. I won't let you win."

Frisk tried to move, but she found herself stuck. Feeling something round in her hand, she looked down. The ball said review. Snatching it away, Chara studied it.

"What is this?" Chara crushed the ball.

"I've always found your red eyes to be beautiful. ;3"

Both Chara and Frisk blinked in confusion. Another review ball formed in Frisk's hand. Toby jumped down to the ball and swatted it out of Frisk's hand.

"Chara, I know you're upset, but calm down, your anger, your regret, your pain; you will only make it worse by doing what you are doing. Because what you're doing, is the very thing you're trying to stop. I know regret, and I know the pain firsthand it causes, what you doing will only make it worse; please stop... Please."

"What are those?!" Scrambling back, Chara held up her arms as if to fend off a physical attack.

"Sound like some of the players who are concern for you." Toby stuck his tongue out. "They don't like it when you suffer."

"Chara!" shouted Uf San. "Hurry up and kill the brat." Holding an arm up, he aimed it at Frisk. "Or I'll-" Chara flicked a wrist and a tree smashed into Sans.

"Shut up!" Black tears fell from Chara's eyes. "Their lying anyhow!"

Another review ball hit the ground.

"Just because there are people that hate you, it doesn't mean you have to aknowledge them. If they're too stupid to get the meaning of the game, it's their problem, not yours. There is a great deal of people that defend you, you know. Listen to them. Also, you have people around you that will support you no matter what. Be glad, because not everyone has that. "Demon" is just giving names, which is plainly stupid. Take care."

"Chara. You're a poor tortured soul. You just need hand to reach out to you. In the words of the Great Papyrus: "I KNOW YOU CAN DO BETTER!"

"Shut up!" Curling into herself, Chara held her head. "Lies! Lies! Nobody care about me!"

Frisk dropped to the ground. As she stood up she felt something square in her hand. Looking at it, she smiled. She marched over to Chara.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Frisk.

"Everyone just used me. Everyone…" Glancing up Chara trailed off as she stared at the photo of her family. "Where do you get that?"

"What are you waiting for?" asked Sin. "Finish her!"

"Chara." Frisk smiled. "Don't you know your own family's face? The one who took you in and cared for you. The ones who treated you so well despite being from the people who put them there in the first place." Closing her eyes, Frisk poked Chara on the nose. "Don't you want to see Mom and Dad again?" Stunned, Chara stared at the picture.

"Good grief." Sin rose one of its hands. "If you're just going to stand there then I'll finish this myself!" The hand fell down upon the trio. Yet Chara held up her hand and caught it. "You know that you can't die, right?"

"I know." Looking up, Chara offered a soft smile. "Yet I would like to have a chat with my daughter, if you don't mind."

"Stop him!" shouted Sin.

Summoning the load screen, Asgore looked to the Sans which Flowey, looking rather shock, taken over. "And Asriel, we need to have a long talk."

"Don't forget me!" Frisk offered a grin. "I'm part of the family too!"

"How could I forget you?" Asgore pressed the screen. "I need you to help me settle this mess."

. . .

An icy breeze smacked Frisk on the face. Blinking, she staggered to her feet and looked down at herself. It appeared her age regressed a bit more. She was shorter and she lost a bit of chest. Laying in the snow, Sans stared up at the night sky. A full moon gave off enough light to see the icing on top of the mountains. Shivering, Frisk grabbed her arms. If only they had summoned a jacket with them.

Frisk grinned as a jacket appeared in hand. "Thank you. Move it, you annoying dog."

Leaping off of Frisk, Toby walked over to Sans. "Come on you lazy bones. We need to hunt down Chara and help out Asgore."

"Asgore is a bit too soft." Sitting up, Sans yawned. "Yet when push comes to shove that guy can stand on his own. Besides, I think Chara's going to have a harder time with him then he had with two of us."

"Sans, you're the stronger boss in the entire game. Asgore is certainly strong, but only because he serves as a tank."

Scooping up the dog, Frisk set him on her shoulder. "I have to agree with Sans. We might be able to use him to have an easier time. Now, where is Asgore and Chara?"

Almost as an answer, half of a nearby mountain exploded. Blinking, Frisk looked to Sans who just nodded his head. Once on top of a Gaster blaster the duo rode it over to the crumbling mountain. They found Asgore standing upon a thin cliff. A portion of his bulky form hung over the edge. Chara stood before him with her head bowed. Wings were out and she had a spear in hand. Yet black tears dripped form her chin.

"Hello, Frisk." Chara sounded… deflated. "Would you like to join us in a game?"

"Chara, I'm sorry." Asgore bowed his head. "I never meant to press that pressure upon you. If you were going to kill yourself, I would had never told you about the prophecy." His arms held out. "Come on now. You can't really expect to do this. Why don't we release the souls and go home."

"I'm dead, Father." Rivers started to flow from her chin. "Killed off to start this damn story." She started to growl. "Why does everyone else get a second chance? Even the people that wanted to do so much harm to Frisk get mercy. Why can't I have some mercy!? At least Asriel gets to live as a flower. Me? I'm stuck in the cold, fucking ground! My award when Frisk kills everyone is becoming a fucking demon and get screen time for all of five fucking seconds. I get the added bonus of seeing everyone I care about be slaughtered."

Asgore tried to march forward, but the rock around him started to crumple. "Chara, please." Tears formed rivers on his cheeks. "If only I had known the truth earlier."

"Go away." Clasping her head, Chara looked up. Flames emitted from the dark void that was her eyes. "Go away and just let me end the suffering already!"

"Chara!" Frisk hopped onto the ledge and tackled her in a hug. "I don't want to see you like this. Come on! We already are in control of the world. Please, just stop now."

"I don't want to control the world! I want to stop the player from using us as toys." Chara knocked Frisk back. "Gaster! Are you getting the door ready!?" Tilting her head, she grinned. "Good, because I'm going to need you to get it done as quickly as possible. I'll handle these guys."

Offering a sad smile, Chara spread her arms out. "You know what. Even with the loss of souls it still is enough to do what I want. So I'm going to chance tactics. Let's go for a more pragmatic approach to this damn problem." She snapped her fingers.

Anyone with a gun fetish would get a boner from the number of missiles that popped out of the snow. Frisk watched as several dozen mountain sides turned form earth to metal. Of all shape and sizes, the explosives stood ready to soar through the air.

"Chara," said Frisk, "You really like to go with the overkill approach."

"Hey, what can I say?" Summoning a button to her hand, Chara offered a sly grin. "There is no kill better than overkill."

"Chara." Asgore slumped. "My child…" He yelped when his body floated off the ground.

"Sorry your highness." Sans darted off. Tightening her grip on the skeleton, Frisk peered over her shoulder. "If we stick around we're going to be boom-loon!"

Pressing the button, Chara laughed. "Eat my iron cocks~!" The entire mountainside disappeared into smoke. Sans glanced back and summoned several dozen blasters. They fired upon the missiles. When he hit one a chain reaction went off with hundreds of weapons blossoming into a fireball.

Yet hundreds more missiles rushed in to take their place. Groaning, Frisk held out her arms and summoned a shield above them. It scattered upon the first explosion. A second missile tried to rush in, but the blue soul threw it to the side. Yet another row of the iron cocks made their target upon Frisk.

"Frisk." Asgore reached into his robes and pulled out an orange soul. "This might be able to help us."

"How!?"

The orange soul hopped onto Frisk's shoulder. With a shrug Frisk held her arms out and allowed the soul to use her determination to catch hold of the missiles. All of the missiles turned orange. The group watched as hundreds of the deadly explosives ran right through them.

"That is one penetration that I'm more than happy to avoid." Sans yelped as a chuck of metal crushed through the side of his ride. The bombs missed, but they still exploded on the mountainside.

"Pull up!" shouted Asgore.

Nodding, Sans moved away from the explosive death. He yelped when an aircraft tried to ram right into them. Frisk studied the odd plane to see a flag of stars and stripes.

"What type of flag is that?" asked Sans.

"Don't know." Summoning his trident, Asgore fired flames at it. He missed, but it looked as if the plane ducked into the mountains. "But something's tell me that we're not going to like it." The plane turned around and opened fire with machine gun. Sans teleported them out of the way.

Frisk looked forward and screamed. Just in time Sans show the same thing and pulled out of the way. Popping out of the snow, turrets opened fired. Frisk summoned a shield and blocked most of the bullets

"This is getting rather crazy," said Asgore. "I never could imagine that a child can have such a violent mind."

"Hey player!" shouted Toby. "Do you have anything to eat? I'm hungry."

Frisk knocked the dog on the side of the head. "I must rather find Chara. Where is she?" The world started to shake.

"That's our answer." Sans directed the blaster toward the sources of the cracks in the sky. Yet as they neared the mountain a skeleton army wearing green uniforms fired upon the group. Huffing, Frisk summoned a shield while Sans used his blasters to clear out the mess. Yet as they kept on getting closer Frisk noticed something about the cracks. They were spreading rapidly, but appeared rather shallow.

Getting over the hill, the group spotted Chara smashing away at the wall of reality. Each strike shook the world, but she panted. Gaster stood nearby and looked as if he was trying to grab Chara. The angel struck the wall with the spear once more and the spear shattered.

Falling to her knees, Chara started to throw up. Her shoulders fell and rose as she stared at the ground. Sans brought them alongside the duo. Landing on a gentle slope, Frisk watched the souls in Chara's wings. They had been losing mass and appeared to be intermingling with one another.

"Damn you Frisk." Chara staggered to her feet. "Can't you just lose for once? Can't you just give up?"

"Not until I'm sure that my friends are safe."

Asgore started toward Chara, but Gaster got in the way. He moved when a blaster tore into his right side. Stumbling back, he glared Sans down.

"I think it high time that we start winding this down."

"I won't lose again." Chara grabbed on side of her face. "Why should I… Am I not god…? Shouldn't god have whatever right she has on the world?" She started forward. "Asriel, this shouldn't be happening. Frisk, please." Chara chuckled. "I don't want us to be under anyone's control anymore. I don't want us to be some person's play things. Is that a terrible dream to ask for?"

"No." Frisk escorted Asgore over to Chara. "Chara, if you take the time to think, do you honestly believe that anyone's life would be better if you were to destroy everything?"

Collapsing onto her knees, the fallen child bowed her head. "Everything I've done to this point was for the monsters."

Frisk sat down in front of Chara. "Do you care to tell us more? It's alright to be sad. It's alright to see the monster within and being scared of it. It's there to show you that you're still human."

"I don't want to exist anymore." Chara curled up into a ball. "There are plenty of people who would rather see me dead. Why do you keep on returning to me when all I've done is hurt you?"

The angel stopped when Asgore scooped Chara up and hugged her. "Are you done fighting?"

"No….but I need time to retreat." Opening the save files, Chara sighed. "Please… don't follow me."

Once again the world changed.

* * *

:)


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Frisk would judge her age to be about fifteen. Sitting in a chair, she tried to figure out why she was in a school hall. It was a standard school hallway with lockers. Blue paint covered the walls and once in a while one could find a soul painted in a random spot. Sans and Asgore had disappeared somewhere, but the blue and orange soul still hopped on her shoulders.

Standing, Frisk stretched her limbs. She was glad to be wearing pants. Every other girl appeared to be wearing a skirt for some reason. A wave of nausea come over her. Clamping a hand to her mouth, she steadied herself.

"What the hell is going on?" Frisk stumbled into the crowd. One girl, a green flame monster, tried to grab her, but the teen shrugged her off.

"Where is Chara?"

"Who?"

"Chara. The girl who absorbed pretty much everyone's souls and is now trying to destroy our world. The girl that had been doing her level best to get revenge." All Frisk got was a blank expression. "Never mind."

Marching off, she scanned the area and saw a lot of pictures. Most of them appeared to be art of monsters she saw in the underground. One CrossoverDude made a comic of something called demitale. It showed when Frisk first fell into the underground. She snorted upon seeing another one from squidbunny; it showed Frisk meeting Sans in the judgment hall. Frisk stopped to stare at the one from DeadSalesman who showed Chara and Asriel sitting in front of the fireplace.

As Frisk looked at more she noted a large number the pictures showed Chara hanging out with her brother, her parents, or Frisk. One picture of her and Chara kissing made her blush.

"What is she doing?"

Finding a classroom, Frisk opened it up to find Alphys standing behind a piano. She tapped away at the keys until the teen tackled her. Huffing, the scientist grinned.

"Hey Frisk. I see that you managed to get here alright."

"Where is everyone else?"

"I have no idea." Alphys shrugged. "Last thing I remember is being stuck as a soul and now I'm here. First time that I saw this classroom. Oh yeah!" The scientist pulled out the yellow soul. "Here you go. One more soul to give away."

"Thanks." Frisk grinned as the three souls revolved around her. "Now, let hunt Chara down."

"Can't. I have class in twenty minutes." Alphys chuckled at Frisk's frown. "Just kidding. I'm sure if we just ask around, someone's got to know where she is." Hopping out of her chair, Alphys followed Frisk out into the hallways. As people got to class they cleared up a bit, but a group of people soon clustered together in one hallway.

"Leave me alone you freaks!" shouted a rather familiar skeleton. With the help of the blue and orange soul Frisk made her way through the crowd. She paused when Sans leapt away from a reaching arm.

Chara appeared to be chasing Sans around the room. She wore one of those sailor suits that girls in anime wore. She also had a knife. Then there was the other… the gender of this Chara was hard to tell if it was Chara in the first place. For some reason her-it, they, he?- had dark blue hair that covered one of their eyes. Their skin was almost a gray. His clothing a black jacket with white undershirt, blue tie, and pants. She also happened to be welding a butcher knife.

The pair of Charas chased Sans around the circle that the crowd formed. Sans glanced about, but appeared unable to teleport away. That or was uncertain where to teleport to. The two Charas flanked Sans and appeared ready to pounce.

"Excuse me!" Marching on over, Alphys held out a hand and a pair of electricity fields appeared around Sans. "What are you two doing?"

The sailor dressed Chara gave Alphys an annoyed frown. "Sempai refused to talk to me and too many people gathered around him."

"We were just trying to get his attention," stated the blue Chara innocently.

"Now here's a better question." Frisk stepped forward. "Who are you two?"  
"Chara," stated sailor Chara.

"Isn't that obvious?" asked blue Chara.

"I mean where the hell did you two come from?"

"Oh." Sticking her tongue out, sailor Chara patted her head with the flat of her knife.

"ElooGls created me while my friend -her- was made by that Rennee person with too long of a name."

"And you're the person who is trying to steal Sans from me!" Blue Chara jabbed the butcher knife at Frisk.

"Pardon?"

"They think I'm in love with you?" Shaking his head, Sans chuckled. "I never thought myself as a ladies man."

Frisk snorted. "Look, no offense to Sans, but he's a skeleton. I mean, he's a nice guy, but when I see him I think of a corpse."

"I'm nothing but bones." Sans chuckled. "Besides, um… ladies."

"I'm a guy," stated the blue Chara.

"And gentleman, I'm not looking for a relationship at the moment. What I want is to return my world back to normal." Sans gestured to the art on the wall. "Why don't you go and check out some of the Sans on the wall. They might be able to indulge you."

"Yet which Sans is my Sans?" Sailor Chara darted over to a picture and her hand phased right through the picture. "I'm going to find out soon enough." Going into the picture, Sailor Chara disappeared. Blue Chara shrugged.

"So are you going to follow her?"

"I much rather go find the Chara of this world and tell her to put me back where I belong."

Blue Chara studied Sans for the moment. "This isn't the guy I want and I want to get out of here. So where is she?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Sans stepped up to Frisk. "So, got any ideas?"

"Nope."

"Then let's go to the principal office and see if they know about one Chara Dreemurr."

"I'll go ask around if anyone has seen the girl either," said Alphys.

"I'll follow the dinosaur." Blue Chara started after Alphys. "I'd like to do something more than stand around."

The principal happened to be a kind old woman. Looking through the files, she tried to find Chara's name, but she found nothing. If she existed, the school knew little about her. Giving a thank you, Frisk expanded her search beyond the school. Stepping outside, she stared at the mix match of the town's design. One portion of town looked to be the standard Western town of wooden and brick buildings built alongside the road, with people wearing t-shirt and similar items. At the end of the block, the road ran into what looked to be a town built from clay. The creatures looked to be cows that got around by rolling around on their back. The sun claimed one portion of the sky while the moon claimed the other. Night and day divided itself by a sharp line of green marker. Off in the distance Frisk swore she saw giants making mountains. The young woman marched up to one of the creatures and waved to it.

Coming out of a ball, the cow offered a smile. "Hello, can I help you?"

"Can you please point me in the direction of Chara?"

"Who?"

"Chara. A teen about my age and has a lot of souls with her."

"I have no idea who that is."

"Oh give me a break." Frisk smacked her face. "Chara has been coming at me since the beginning and now she won't even face me?"

"The kid is a hard one to figure out." Patting Frisk on the shoulder, Sans hummed. "What happened to the dog?"

"Hm." Frisk looked to her shoulder to find it clear. "Well… I don't know. He tends to be with me so I just forgot about him."

"Great. So our only connection to the player is also gone." Frisk sighed. "I wonder if Chara did this or it's just me getting paranoid."

"Chara is losing power." Sans looked up at the black skies to be greeted by the face of the moon. Its tongue hung out as it stared off into the distance. "Yet she should still have more power than anyone else around. There should be no reason why she should be hiding. At least, in terms of pure strength. In determination, you edge her out."

"Whole lot of good that is going to do if I can't even find her."

"Maybe I can be of some help?"

Marching in their direction, Asgore waved at them. "It's good to see you are alright."

"What's going on?" asked Frisk.

"It would appear that Chara is trying a new option." Gesturing to the city, the king shook his head. "She thinks that if she can't destroy the game, then she might as well freeze it so that it can no longer be played."

"And to make sure that it stays that way if she refused to show herself."

Asgore rubbed the back of his head. "It would seem to be the case. However, she wasn't quite thinking straight when she brought me to this world. She's hiding out at our house as we speak."

"Really?" Frisk chuckled. "Gone from attacking to hiding at her parents' place? Well, at least that makes my life a little bit easier."

"Just follow me." Asgore led them through the streets of gold to a home that looked almost like Toriel's house. The only different being the large fence erected around it. Asgore opened the locked door with ease. "I sometimes don't understand what that child think she is doing."

"She's done this before?" asked Frisk.

"When Chara is under extreme stress she likes to hide away. I don't know if that's how she is or if it's just something she created to protect herself." Walking down a hallway, Asgore paused beside a door. "Here we are." He knocked on the door.

"Go away!" shouted Chara.

"Sweetie, I brought friends over."

"I don't have any friends."

Sitting outside of the door, Frisk hummed. "I would have to disagree with that statement."

"Frisk, I've given you a world you can never be bored with. Go out there and enjoy it and leave me alone."

Chuckling, Frisk shook her head. "This isn't the world I wanted Chara. I want the world we come from."

"Why!? There nothing there that you can't find here."

"Well, there is one thing I can think of right now!"

"What?!"

"Your smiling face."

Chara shut up. Rocking on her heels, Frisk hummed. "Hey Asriel. Are you there?"

"I am."

"Don't talk to her!" shouted Chara.

"But I want to and we can't stay in her forever."

"Sure we can. I can summon anything we need with a snap of a finger."

"Chara…"

"This is taking too long." Sans summoned a blaster. "Let see how strong this door is." The blaster fired and it skipped off of the door. It went up at a sharp angle and took a good portion of the roof.

"Sans." Asgore looked up at his new skylight. "If we are stuck here, you are paying for the roof."

"Okay, I guess." The skeleton sagged his shoulders. "Chara, I want my brother back. You got yours, so why is it that you're keeping mine away from me?" Silence answered. "Kid, I don't know what is going through your mind at the moment, but we don't have anywhere to go."

Humming, Frisk tapped her chin. "We could always try to get her out with a song."

"Pardon?"

"Come on Chara let's sing." Hopping to her feet, Frisk clapped her hands together. "Or better yet we can have a smiling contest. Oh! I know! Why not go out and do some gardening? Maybe some drawing will work as well. Dad, can you get us some paper?"

"Dad?" Chara sounded surprise.

"Yeah, I'm going to be part of your family soon." Frisk took the paper and crayon from Asgore. "You should know that by now."

"I guess… Who said you can be part of the family?"

"Your parents."

"Do you guys have any food?" Sans marched off. "I'll leave you guys to settle this between yourselves. Oh, and where is my father?"

"I'm not quite sure." Following Sans, Asgore placed a hand to his chin. "Any moment now, I would think he would show up, but I had yet to see him."

Drawing on the paper, Frisk hummed to himself. "Knowing that guy, he's probably working in the shadows. Hey Asriel, have you seen Gaster."

"No."

The teen hummed as she finished working on making her picture of Asriel, Chara, and Frisk together. They were out in the fields of flowers playing with each other happily. Slipping it under the door, Frisk waited for a response. A few moments later the picture came out with Chara crossed out with a red marker.

"You really do want to hide away forever."

"Wouldn't it be for the best?"

"Not if that means keeping me here forever!" Blue Chara darted forward and door whacked the door with her knife.

"Where did you come from?" asked Frisk

"Alphys called Asgore on his cellphone."

"Oh.".

"Now let me in before I get angry."

"Yes." Chara chuckled. "I'm afraid of some copycat whose best idea was to make the royal family evil and then just make everyone else emo. How scary."

"Let me in!" Blue Chara hacked away at the door.

"And note to author, you should be calling Blue Chara negativetale, or NT Chara. Seriously, can't you people come up with a better name for your AU. Slapping the word tale to with some random word isn't going to make it any better or worse. Negativetale, Outertale, Tidetale, Tale Spin and American Tail. Then that one world called Underfell, so I guess that tries to be a bit different while being unoriginal. As if anyone here is familiar with a certain FPS game and its multitude of mods anymore to confuse it with another Undertale AU..."

"People like our world. Isn't that a good thing?" asked Frisk.

"We're popular," said Asriel.

"I don't gave a damn!" Turning to Frisk, whatever-you-want-to-call-him Chara turned toward Frisk. "Hey Chara, do you mind if I killed Frisk." The souls on Frisk's shoulder hopped to attention. "I'll be more than happy to kill her if you just-" The door slammed into Blue Chara's face.

Marching on out, Chara grabbed Blue Chara with a series of vines and slammed her into a far wall. "Like hell I'm going let some wantabe kill her!"

Sticking his head out the door, Asriel waved hand. "Hey, how it going?" he asked timidly with an equal smile.

"Somewhat well." Frisk replied, shaking her head as Chara pulled out an pistol machine gun and aimed it at Blue Chara. "Chara, put him down."

"Why?!" Chara whirled around. "Give me one damn good reason why?!"

"Because you're not upset at him, but at what he represents. As much as you hate it, this is what some people see of you. Shooting the idea up isn't going to convince anyone that you're right."

"Just go out and explore the world." Chara bowed her head. "I gave you one. Please… Just go look at it."

Smiling, Frisk crossed her arms. "Nah. I think I'll wait till you're ready."

Chara smiled back. "What? Is this not you want?" Dropping Blue Chara, Chara summoned load button and the world transformed into a wasteland. Small rocks littered the sandy grounds. Buildings off in the distance appeared to be dilapidated. Asriel and Chara both wore rugged outfits stained with dirt.

Holding out her arms, Chara started to run around. "I can give you an action packed world where you can shoot up as many people as you want." She snapped a finger and a human done up in trash armor appeared. "They can be scum of the earth who deserve to be shot up."

"Really." Frisk marched up to the man pointing a gun at her and hugged him. Blinking in confusion the rouge hugged back. "Are humans really that terrible?"

"Of course they are!" The angel jabbed her hands at the skies. "Look at the world around you. The player had a strong control of the game and messed it up." Bowing her head, she chuckled. "Look at me… The human who seemed to mess up everything she touch."

"Good grief." Undyne marched on over wearing a black tanktop and blue pants. "I finally get back and the fight is out of the girl."

"I can still fight!" Chara spread out her wings, but they appeared to be as long as her arms. "I can be the final boss. We can drag in people from other worlds." With a snap of her finger she summoned a young girl. Her black hair was pulled back into a bun on the back her head, yet her veins covered her eyes. Wearing a tan and green outfit, she hummed to herself. "Here is Toph from the Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hell, I can draw upon the thousands of fan art and creations to fight you."

"Excuse me." Spinning around, Toph stomped her feet and pounded Chara into the earth. Startled, the angel tried to wiggle her way out. The earthbender darted up to Chara. "No offense, kid, but I'm not just going to fight anyone just because you ask me to."

"No!" Chara tried to pull herself out of the ground. "Why aren't you listening to me!? I'm in control."

"Not anymore!" Annoying dog hopped on over with a tied up Gaster. "Hey guys. Why is there a blind girl walking around?"

"And why is a yipping dog dragging about a skeleton." Toph stood and looked about. "No really, where the heck am I."

"It's called Undertale." Frisk marched on over. "We're in a game that we're currently trying to break."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but Chara believes it would end her suffering."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Pulling herself out of the earth, Chara summoned a knife to hand. "Listen to me you damn souls!" The knife fell for her stomach but a purple line caught it. Marching on over, Frisk yanked Chara to her feet.

"Damn it Frisk!" Fists clenched, the angel's body shook. "Just tell me what you want! I'll give you anything. Just don't force me to go back to what the world used to be. Please." Looking up, Chara cried red tears. Her face a mixture of desperation, outrage, and fear. "I don't want to suffer anymore! I don't want to the world to be abused! I don't want to see my family killed over and over again. Please… just let me die in peace. Everyone would be better off if I never existed in the first place."

"Nope!" Tapping Chara on the nose, Frisk stuck her tongue out. "Once we get back to our world I'm taking you home. We can throw a party to welcome back the royal family!" Frisk clapped her hands. "There would be goodies all around with tons of friend there. Oh! We can have plenty of games as well."

"Frisk…"

"Chara, can you trust me."

Silence answered.

"Can you trust me, partner?"

Coming in from behind, Asriel hugged the two and laughed. "Come on Chara! Frisk managed to forgive the murderous Flowey! Why can't you have mercy as well?"

"What do you want me to do?" Chara stared at the ground.

"Let's return to the beginning of all this." Frisk grabbed Chara's hand. "From the start. Release all the souls. Okay?"

"What is your plan?"

"It's going to require the player, but remember Chara. We had broken free of his control. Let's abuse the right out of that."

Taking a deep breath, Chara sighed. "Frisk, I hope you know what you're doing." The load panel appeared once more and the world changed again.

When Frisk became aware of the world she noted that she stood on top of a patch of flowers. Looking up, she grinned at the sunlight kissing her face. The sound of ruffling drew her attention to the right of right. Sitting down, Chara leaned upon a pillar. Her body had returned to normal, and she was staring vacantly at her soul hovering over her hands. Clipped of her wings, she appeared little more than a lost child. Frisk noted that she also changed back to her child form.

"This is the beginning," said Chara. "The start of it all. When I fell down here I started the whole event." Pointing to the flowers, the child stood. "That is my grave. When I died my mother buried me here. When the other children fell I only noticed them in passing. Yet when you came your determination woke me up. So, what is your big idea?"

"Where's Asriel?"

"Right here!" Popping his head around the pillar, the goat waved a hand. "Golly! I didn't think I'll return here again. So what are we doing here?"

"We're going to break the game, but we can't do it by ourselves."

"I could have if you just let me." Chara stared up at the hole over their head. "Who else do we need?"

"The person that made this all possible in the first place." Looking to the skies, Frisk offered a wide smile. "Excuse me, player, but would you please help us break the game."

. . .

Blinking in confusion, the player watched as Frisk held out her arms. Over the right hand the word 'Continue' appeared. The word 'Restart' appeared over her left hand. Frisk's brilliant smile stunned the player.

"Are you insane?!" Chara leapt to her feet. "Aren't they are the reason we're here in the first place?!"

"Chara, it is their game." Frisk sighed. "As much as I want to take it away from them, it won't change the fact that we are stealing something from them. Besides, I'd like to believe in them."

"That's what Papyrus said before he got himself killed." Sitting down, Chara folded into herself. "Fine, do what you want. See what happen when you put two much trust in others. I won't stop you."

The player just sat there for a long moment. After all the trouble Chara gave him, she just gave up. Compared to the Asriel's fight it was rather anticlimactic. Yet she sat there with an expression of total despair. Her brother walked over and hugged her. Frisk stood there with expecting eyes. Sighing, the player shook his head.

"So you're giving me the choice to either take back total control or to give it all up." Leaning back in the chair, they hummed. "Well, being unable to do anything is infuriating. You guys annoyed me to no end."

"So should I be merciful to them or should I be a megalomaniac?" Sighing, the player shook their head. "Seriously, I'm half afraid of the game doing something odd. It shouldn't be able to do that." Yet as they watched Chara just sat there and Frisk waiting with tears in her eyes, he sighed. "Come on, don't look at me like that. Come on Chara. At least curse me out a bit more."

The red-eyed girl remained unmoved. Frisk kept on grinning while Asriel tried to comfort his sister. Three children who have done nothing more than being created.

Working the mouse, the player made their choice.

* * *

I think I broke Chara... Hugs and kisses, anyone?


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Frisk yelped when her right hand light up. Stumbling back, she fell onto her butt. When she looked up she spotted the six souls hovering over her head. They spun around her as if expecting something. Standing up, Frisk glanced to Chara. The red-eyed girl appeared to be stunned.

"What's going on?" asked Chara.

"It would seem that the player has handed the reins over." Marching from the ruins, Gaster held a device in hand. "Greetings, children. Your work is not in vain." He kneeled beside Chara. "Let's see now, if my readings are correct, it would seem that we might be able to do it."

"Do what?" asked Chara.

"We can break the barrier." Frisk summoned her soul as she walked up to Asriel. "But first we need to make sure that everyone comes out of the underground this time around. Asriel, you are coming too."

"But Frisk, I can't go back!"

"And why not?"

Asriel placed a hand onto his chest. "The only reason right now that I'm able to keep this form is because me and Chara are stuck together. Golly, even right now our existence is against the rule of the games. Now that Chara is no longer control we might have to separate."

"If you want, you can take my soul." Chara held it out for Asriel. "It's not like I need it."

"Chara!"

"I don't want to return to the humans." Bowing her head, the red-eyed girl sniffed. "What I have done is terrible. It would be best if I just stay here and rot forever. The least I can do now is give you a chance at a normal life. Don't argue with me. Just take it."

"Excuse me," said Gaster. "I…"

"Chara!" Plowing through the scientist, Toriel scoped the red-eyed girl up. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Mom." Chara tried to speak, but Toriel's glare melted away without any protest.

"Get this straight right now, young lady. You have no right to take it upon yourself and free the people of the underground. Your father helped me figure out the situation and I have had enough of you sacrificing yourself for everyone else."

"There is no real need to do so anymore." Sans and Papyrus marched on over. "In case you haven't noticed, we have seven and a half humans' souls now. That should be more than enough to break the barrier."

Taking Chara from Toriel, Papyrus studied her. "So you're the one who has been causing everyone trouble. No worry, cute girl, I, the great Papyrus, have come to understand you during the time as a soul." His face twisted into an odd expression. "I'll admit it was one of the oddest feelings I have ever had."

"You can say it's the soul reason that we're not going to attack you right now."

"That isn't funny Sans!"

Blinking in confusion, Chara looked to Frisk. The child gave her a thumbs up.

"Um…" Chara tried to speak, but the Undyne swooped in and grabbed her. "Hey!"

"There you are! Time for punishment!" The knight ground her knuckles into Chara's head.

"Stop that!"

"Undyne." Marching on over, the doctor shook her head. "All I need you to do is grab a sample of her DNA so we can use the device."

"Put me down already!" Chara kicked her legs, but the knight held her away. "I became god and almost destroyed this world! You can't treat me like this!"

"Well aren't you a darling." Mettaton walked on over with Asgore. "I told you Asgore that your girl is doing alright, and I can see a little goat boy nearby."

As Undyne set Chara down Asgore dropped to his knees. Tears dammed up in his joyful eyes. He reached out for Chara, but paused as if afraid to touch her.

"Hey Dad." Chara offered a warm grin. "Sorry for all the trouble I caused." She gestured for Asriel to walk over. "If you want me to go away, I would understand. I can give my soul to my brother and-"

"Don't you dare talk like that!" Scooping his children into his arm, Asgore wept. "Do you know how much I missed you two?! I'm sorry for putting so much pressure on you. I'm sorry for being a bad father. I'm sorry for being unable to protect you. I'm-" He paused when Frisk and Toriel hugged him from the sides.

"That's enough," declared Toriel. "We all made mistakes in the past. I doubt that we can fix it all. Still, it would be nice if we can stay together forever."

"Excuse me!" The group pulled away to see a young woman dashed on over. Wearing a long pink dress and a floppy brunette, she tripped on her own feet and landed on her face. "Ow."

"I told you we should had taken the wrong route!" A stuff, blue dog climbed out of the satchel. "If you had stop to ask that odd Batman for directions we would had found this place already."

"Excuse me." Pulling away from her family, Chara marched over to the girl. "Who are you?"

"Kobato." Taking Chara's hand, the young woman stood up. "Kobato Hanato." She gestured to the dog. "And this here is Ioryogi."

The stuff toy growled. "Kobato! We aren't here to have fun. We're here to deliver a message."

"Oh right!" Bowing, Kobato handed a letter. "Sorry it took so long to get to you, but the author added a few more letters to the one already stuff in there."

"What?" Chara opened the letter as Frisk and the other gather around. She opened the letter. A yelp escaped her as letters flew out of the envelope. One of them landed in her hand and it a hirowriter begged for Chara and Frisk to please get along. "A little late aren't you."

"I told you!" Jumping out of the bag, the stuff animal opened it mouth and threw up flames. "You should had gotten her earlier!"

"I'm sorry, Ioryogi!" The monsters stared as the girl and blue dog ran off into the distance.

"But thanks for the letter." Chara looked up and blink as humanoid forms consisted of the paper appeared around her. "What the?" They kneeled down and hugged her. Names just as Jack, SernaJ and Reader99 covered their heads. "Who…"

Grabbing a letter, Frisk grinned. "It would as if these are readers who want to show support for you."

Chara grimaced as a hirowriter kissed her on the forehead. "Hey! You guys are going to drown me in hugs." Yet her eyes twinkled as a smile fought to stay off her face. As this took place Gaster plucked a hair from Chara's head and placed it in his device.

"Well, I hate to break this love feast up, but it's not going to happen."

The humanoids yelped as pellets hit them and they poofed into smoke. The monsters gather around Chara as Frisk and Asriel grabbed Chara by the shoulder. Everyone stared Toby down.

Asgore placed himself in front of his children. His body trembled as he summoned his trident. "I don't care if you are the god of this world! I will not allow you to take my family away again."

"You guys don't get it do you?" Toby shook his head. "This world is meant to be played a certain way. Hell, I don't have the time or budget to keep on doing this. Now that Chara has lost all her souls she is no longer in control."

The red-eyed girl grabbed her mother's robes. "Please don't. I can't go back to the way things were. I beg of you!"

"I know that I look like the bad guy here, but be realistic." With a flick of his paw, Toby summoned a restart button. "If I let you guys break the game then it won't be playable anymore. Games are meant to be played. It has already been stretched to the point breakage. Sorry people, but I'm resetting this world."

"Doubt it." Frisk stepped forward with her arms crossed. The six souls floated with her. "We're all getting out of here."

"Frisk, your rebellion is adorable, but this ends now." The annoying dog pressed the restart button and it farted. "What the?!" He pressed the button again and it made a raspberry. "Why isn't this working?!" The dog kept pressing the button.

"Annoying dog, I think you forgot who the real god of this world is." Frisk pointed to the skies. "And they stated that they are tired of the world as it is."

"What?!" The annoying dog and Chara appeared surprised. "Don't they understand that if they do this that the game won't be the same!? It won't be a simple, you can't have a happy ending, sort of way. The entire game will have to rewrite itself to the point that it have to be take on a new plot!"

The dog started to hop on his back legs as he stared up at the sky. "Turn off the game and then open it back up. You should be able to restart it all without going through this." But no one did what was asked.

Letting go of Toriel, Chara marched over to the dog. Before he noticed, she picked the dog up and stared him down. Frisk tried to read Chara's expressions, but her head was bowed and her body tensed.

Toby gulped. "Chara." He shut up when Chara pulled the dog into a hug.

"This is the whole point of the game, right?" Tightening her grip, the red-eyed girl trembled. "To be kind to others and they will eventually be kind to you. That even the worst person deserves a second chance. So please, give us that second chance, Toby."

"Please!" Frisk darted over. "We'll bride you with pie."

"I can do that!" exclaimed Toriel.

"I can offer you pasta!" declared Papyrus.

"How about a dance routine?" Mettaton flexed his legs.

"There-" stared Sans as he pulled out a trombone from the air.

"Enough!" The annoying dog sighed. "Fine, I'll do it, but don't blame me if you hate the end result."

"To start, let's get Chara's soul." Gaster marched over to Frisk and grabbed her necklace. "Despite the odds I know where it is."

"Pardon?" asked Frisk.

Flipping the lid open, Gaster peeled back the picture. Frisk blinked as she spotted the red and gray soul inside.

"It would seem even when Chara took control, you still had a portion of her soul." Gaster laughed. "That would explain your ability to keep some control even when you were being attacked."

"You have got to be kidding me." Asriel rushed over as Gaster held the soul out. "That would make eight human souls!"

"And its yours Asriel." Chara patted the goat boy on the back. "Shall we see if we can break the barrier?"

Taking the soul from Gaster, the goat boy placed it onto his chest. Tears formed as it faded into his body. Frisk wrapped an arm around of one of Asriel's shoulders while Chara claimed the other.

"Shall we go break that barrier now?" asked Frisk

"We have more than enough souls," stated Chara. "Let's get going!" So the children charged toward the barrier. The adults ran to keep up. As they went through the various areas, monsters stopped from what they were doing to follow. Soon enough, a large fellowship made their way to the castle.

Coming upon the barrier, Chara placed the dog down. "So how is this going to work? Do we all just hold out our hands and fired at the barrier."

"We could give our soul power to Asriel," said Frisk. "He already know how to use it. So why not just channel our strength through him."

"Sound like a good plan as any." Pointing his hands at the barrier, Asriel took a deep breath. "Ready!"

Frisk and Chara placed their hands upon Asriel's shoulders while the souls rested upon his arm. A rainbow glow encased him as a beam powered up in his hands. Taking a deep breath, Asriel closed his eyes and fired. The beam hit the barrier and the world went dark.

. . .

The game crashed. Sighing, the player reopened the screen to be greeted by darkness. They waited a few minutes before a portion of the earth quivered. Popping out of the ground, Toby the dog shook himself.

"I told you that you would break the game. Fixing it isn't going to be easy, but I think I can put it back together. Yet I already warned you. The game will not be as it was in the original form."

"I think I agreed to this earlier."

"Alright then." Turning around, the dog summoned a screen. "I guess you can call this a limited restart. Why? You'll learn soon enough. Give me a few seconds and done!" The dog pulled away from the colorful screen. "This should be able to help you. I hope you are ready. This is going to be one hell of a ride."

Nodding, the player clicked on the limited restart button. The beginning of the game appeared, but with one major difference. Standing in the field of flowers, Chara watered the plants. She hummed to herself as she worked. A shadow appeared over her head and a scream followed.

"Golly!" Stepping to the side, Chara narrowly missed being flattened by Frisk. "I was wondering when you'll show up." She watered the fallen child's face. "Hurry up and get up. I didn't wait here for days for you to die. Wake up now."

Sitting up, Frisk pushed the watering pot away.

"You appear rather confused. Don't worry. Everyone else is waiting for us."

The player kept his hands off of the control and watched Chara walk off. When she reached the edge of the screen, Chara hummed.

"Have you forgotten how to use Frisk? Move already, player!"

Startled, the player did as told. They passed through the area which Flowey would be, but found instead a young, human girl. Stringy, light blond hair complimented crystalline blue eyes and a white dress. She was carefully fiddling around with a small record player. The record player seemed to emit a new piece of music that wasn't in the game earlier; was this part of the limited reset?

"Hey Orenda." Chara waved to the girl. "Did you get the others ready?"

"As ready as they can be." A wide grin covered the blonde's face. "Hey Frisk, don't be surprised if you see a few new faces."

Leaving the blonde behind, the duo came upon the entrance of the ruins. Chara leaned on the wall.

"Get to it player. I'll just let you do the work."

"Hey now!" Yet the player grinned as he solved the puzzles.

"Do you like the flowers I planted? It took me a while to grow them, but I'm glad how they turned out. Hey, do you want to do anything once we get out of here? A picnic sounds nice, though I'm uncertain what to make. What you think?" In this manner, Chara followed Frisk throughout the underground.

When they came upon the first fight, the red eyed-girl shooed the monster away. "You'll get to fight soon enough."

Solving the puzzles were easy, but Chara never helped with them. The player stopped by the spider shop to get food. They worked as normal. Yet when he tried to find the toy knife it was missing.

"I told mom that it was there." Chara offered an innocent grin. "Don't want anyone to get hurt."

Coming upon the house, Frisk found the annoying dog napping under the tree. The player tried to wake it up, but the text stated that he worked long and hard. It would be best to let him sleep.

Toriel had already baked a pie when they got to the house. Frisk took a piece and Chara sat at the table to munch away at it as Toriel read her book.

"Don't go downstairs Frisk." Placing her book down, the goat mom walked over to the flowers to tend to them. "You won't be happy about it."

Of course, the player went down the stairs. Chara followed. When they reached the doors they found it cleared.

"Is this supposed to be difficult?" asked the player.

Frisk grabbed the doors and burst into flames. Running about, Frisk waved her hands in the air. Tackling Frisk to the ground, Chara dumped her bucket of water on her.

"There we go." Chara grinned. "You look a bit less toasty."

"You knew that was going to happen!"

Frisk bopped Chara on the head.

"Hey! Blame the dog. This is supposed to be the super hard mode."

"Super hard mode?" The player shook his head. "We haven't even fought anyone yet."

"I thought I told you not to come down here." Walking on over, Toriel shook her head. "Chara, please stand aside as I teach this child a lesson."

"Okay mom."

Frisk started to sweat. The screen went into battle mode and Toriel stood in the way. Curiosity had the player checked the stats. They appeared the same, but the words were different. _Goat mom wants to have some fun_. Chara poked her head into the battle and waved to the player.

"Okay then, let's try sparing goat mom." The player clicked on the mercy button.

"Do you think it would be that easy?" Toriel offered an evil grin.

There was no mercy. Starting from the center of the screen, the box erupted into flames. Fire shot out all over. The player tried to dodge, but the flames appeared to follow the heart around the screen. They was dead on the first round.

"Wait a minute! Toriel killed me on purpose!"

Appearing on the death screen, Chara offered a smile. "Hey! Don't give up. We just started it all."

Appearing at the last save point, the player relearned the entire game. They tried to fight, but Chara took the fight button and ate it! It took him at least four times to finally spare Toriel. All of the monsters had changed their patterns of attack. Yet when they talked, they spoke to Frisk like an old friend. Chara tagged along with Frisk. She did little more than talk most of the time.

"What's the point of me helping you if it makes the game boring?" Yet there were times Chara helped. Like when the player met the skeleton and Sans started firing blue bones out of his trombone. She was nice enough to hint that a joke might stop him from attacking. Papyrus had somehow learned how to use spaghetti as weapon.

The people of Snowdin were happy and actually gave Frisk free stuff. It was so much that it the player couldn't accept it, but Chara agreed to carry some. The waterfall had the flowers playing a song of thanks. Undyne chased Frisk as usual and had the help of the entire guard, plus Papyrus. Yes, Frisk fought Papyrus twice this time around.

At some point the player found a new route in Snowdin that led deep into the forest of evil looking trees. Eventually they came upon a tent and went inside. A deer woman with an eye patch and horns shaped like antlers attacked Frisk with cards. It took a bit of time to get away from Ocula the psychic.

This time around Undyne and the royal guard combined chased Frisk through the swamps. Chara threw insults which only prompted the dogs to pick up the pace. At one point a Miss Little Red Slicing Hood stood in their path and hacked away at them.

Thankfully, Alphys stayed out of the fight and helped the duo get through Hotland. Yet that didn't make all the fights through the area easier. The player swore that Mettaton enjoyed bashing them about each time they went through. Then there was Gaster who popped in and out to fire beams at them. An array of new creatures were scattered throughout the path. One of the more remembered ones being a Grady- a tall skeleton with horns and long pointed tail. The dramatic skeleton acted much like Mettaton.

The hallway to the throne had every monster in the game and a number of new ones do piled on Frisk. One Miss Stilio- looking like the lovechild of Mettaton and Muffet- gave the player a run for their money.

When they finally got to Asgore's castle, the humans found Asriel sitting in the throne. Putting down his game device, the goat child waved a hand. "Hey guys! Dad was tired today so he letting me do the boss fight."

It took a good number of tries, but the player finally got past Asriel. They got to the room with the barrier and found it missing. The barrier was gone.

"Oh yeah." Chara offered an innocent smile. "Did I forgot to mention that? We were just waiting for you to bring Frisk here." Grabbing Frisk by the hand, Chara stuck her tongue out. "Thank you!" The two laughed as they left the player stunned.

The screen soon turned to the sight of the monsters sitting within a forested field. Blankets had been laid out to sit upon. The monsters enjoyed their meals as Frisk, Chara, Asriel and the monster kid played around in the forest. When the screen faded to black Chara sat on top of the limited restart. A smile spread across her face.

"That was fun. If you want to play again, just warn us first." Chara pointed to a bell off to the right. "We'll get things ready for you. Okay." Leaping to her feet, Chara waved a hand. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going home. Oh, and one more thing." The child summoned a knife to her hand and stabbed it in the direction of the player. Head bowed, she chuckled darkly. "I'm putting my trust in you to not destroy this world again. I hope Frisk is right about you. It's easier to believe than thinking that you would be willing to wipe this all out. Yet no matter how many times you do, I will remember! Judgment will always be brought down. So please… let us live in peace." Chara left.

Closing out of the game, the player went to the internet to see if anyone else got to that point in Undertale. They found that no one had. They were the first. So the player sent out word about this portion of game and advised caution. It was an interesting path for sinners, but one where it was easy to lose everything. But the path of redemption would lose its punch if it asked for so little in the first place.

* * *

And here is where I say "The End". It was fun writing this. Thank you for all who read and stuck with this toward the end. If anyone would mind listening rant a bit then state a little longer. First off, thank you to Kessie-Louise for sticking to the end of the read and leading her character in this chapter. She had helped me proofread and give me a few ideas for the chapter. Thank you all for reviewing. It's always nice to hear from you. If anyone cares, all of the monsters that isn't from the game isn't mine and belong to the people I borrow them from.

If people haven't figure it out by now, I never thought of Chara being evil. Did she do stupid things? Yes. Was she a good person? Who knows. Beside for Asriel's rather vague comment and the demon that the player created at the end of the genocide route, there was only hints and suggestion of who Chara once was. Considering a large chunk of the game is to be forgiving of others- tricked or not, Asriel was down right evil as Flowey- I thought I give the poor girl/boy/non-binary person a break. Hell, the player in this story is the one who needed to be most sorry for what they done. They needed a path to redemption in the Undertale's world. So here is just my opinion on how things might turn out.

Any who, this story is complete. I'm thinking of writing a crack fic based on this, but do consider this story to be a stand alone. Frisk, Chara, and everyone else in the underground need a break from the player. If anyone would like to do a collaboration with me for the crack fic just sent me a message.

If you want to read more of my stuff I have a lot of unfinished fics as well. I need to do something with those damn things. I also have posted an original work on Fictionpress called God's Forsaken under the name of Wya. It's a fun read and if anyone have the time it would be nice if someone would comment on it.

Okay, my rant is over. I hope you enjoy the read. Have mercy in your heart and show love to others. Few demons in real life are evil because they are born that way. They are crafted by strings that we are not always aware of.


End file.
